Yao urges lighter govt grip on sports system

Measuring 2.26 meters tall, basketball icon Yao Ming is the center of attention wherever he appears, even at the annual session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference that concluded last week.

Since the opening session earlier this month at the Great Hall of the People, every one of Yao's public appearances became a horde of reporters and delegates raising cameras and voice recorders as they craned for a memento of the celebrity.

Yao's thoughts, concerns and stark appraisal of the state of the nation's sports programs were as eye-catching as his stature.