Chinese Basketball Team to Compete in Diamond CupSix men basketball teams, including the Chinese national team, will take part in Hongkong New Millennium Diamond Cup World Basketball Match to be held in Hongkong Gym from September 2 to 6 as the last warm-up match before the Olympics in Sydney.Among the said six contesting parties are the Yugoslavian team, world champion, the Italy team, European champion, the Canadian team, American runner-up, the Angolan team, African champion, the Australian team, Oceanian champion, and the Chinese team, Asian champion. The six teams will be divided into two groups, Group A and Group B, for round robins. Then, the same rankings of the two groups will play for the last rankings. Group A will be formed of the Chinese team, Yugoslavian team and Canadian team and Group B of the Italy team, Angolan team and Australia team. Cheng Wanqi, vice-chairman of the International Basketball Union, said that it will be a match of the highest level in Hongkong and there will be found some active NBA players joining in the match. Li Qunhua, president-general of Hongkong Basketball Federation, also said that the projected basketball match will be a world-class match to be held in Hongkong. He believes that this match will inject new vitality into Hongkong's basketball market and add the opportunity for Hongkong to apply for 2006 Asian Games. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/ |