Star's appointment heralds better sports management

CHINESE BASKETBALL STAR YAO MING was elected chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association by a unanimous vote at the association's ninth national congress on Thursday. Thepaper.cn commented on Friday:

As the first head of the Chinese Basketball Association from outside its ranks, Yao is expected to breathe some fresh air into the top basketball governing body that is undergoing a management reshuffle.

In recent years Chinese basketball players have failed to impress their fans with their performances in tournaments at home and abroad. Nor are there any youngsters setting the courts alight. This has a lot to do with the excessive institutional barriers on club-to-club transfers.