WCBA league new season kicks off in Wenjiang

The Sichuan team competes against the Jiangsu team in the opening match of the 2021-2022 season of the Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) league in Wenjiang district, Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province, on Nov 14. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The 2021-2022 season of the Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) league officially kicked off at the Wenjiang District Gymnasium in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province, on Nov 14.

The opening match began just after the opening ceremony, with the Sichuan team facing off against the Jiangsu team, which took second place in the last season. The Sichuan team won victory over the Jiangsu team 86-66.

This is the third season of the WCBA league since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 18 teams will compete in this year's league.

The Sichuan team competes against the Jiangsu team in the opening match of the 2021-2022 season of the Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) league in Wenjiang district, Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province, on Nov 14. [Photo provided to China Daily]

A special team - the Federation of University Sports of China United Team (FUSC) - was introduced this season to improve the integrated development of sports and education and further promote the development of the women's basketball reserve force.

The FUSC consists of 16 student athletes from Beijing Normal University, Tsinghua University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Sichuan Normal University and China University of Mining and Technology.

The Sichuan team competes against the Jiangsu team in the opening match of the 2021-2022 season Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) league in Wenjiang district, Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province, on Nov 14. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Wenjiang district accelerated construction on a number of sports facilities to better serve the events, said local officials. The district will also take measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during the matches.

Wenjiang plans to create a number of consumption belts and sports consumption areas, hold more sporting events and cultivate four intellectual properties (IPs) related to basketball, equestrian sports, cycling, and marathons, said officials.