Eligibility allegations engulf China's U18 basketball team

The Chinese Basketball Association has launched an investigation into alleged age and identity falsification involving a key player on the country’sunder-18 national team, raising concerns in the sporting community over a potential integrity crisis.

In a brief statement released late on Saturday, the CBA confirmed it had taken note of allegations by whistleblowers that Li Yize, a guard on China’s U18 men’s squad,is overage and that it“is working with relevant authorities to thoroughly investigate the matter”.

The CBA pledged to handle the case in a “serious andearnest” manner and that it will release the findings of the investigation to the public in a timely manner.

With his impressive performances during the U18 squad’s warm-up games last week turning heads, Li’s risealso triggered scrutiny of his background by fans, some of whom soon claimedthat Li’s appearance suspiciously resembles that of another young player named Zhang Hanbo, who is supposed to be younger than Li.

More allegationsby fans started to circulate on Chinese social media on Saturday morning following Li’s impressive contribution of 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in the U18 team’s 100-56 rout of an Australian youth academy squad on Friday in Xiangshui, Jiangsu province.The suggestion was that Li might have had previously competed as Zhang, citing similarities in their profile photos and the overlap in their left-hand playing styles.

According to official registration information for the current U18 team, Li was born on March 27, 2008, making him eligible for U18 events. However, whistleblowers allege his actual birth year was 2006, citing registration information provided for Zhang when he signed up with the national U17 youth league in 2022.

More intriguingly, both Li and Zhang were registered as products of the Hubei provincial youth program in the CBA data base, with records for Zhang’s participation in official competition ending in 2022, while there are no records for Li until he represented Hubei at the inaugural National Youth Games of Football, Basketball and Volleyball in 2024.

Such allegations, if confirmed, would mean Li is two years over the age limit and has competed in youth events with an unfair advantage in physicality and experience.

Shortly after the controversy erupted on social media, Liwas removed from the roster forSaturday night’s U18exhibition game against a Canadian youth squad.

As of Monday morning, no onefrom Li’s family, the current U18 national team or Hubei’s provincial sports department had commented on the allegations.