The 10-year-old Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) is to launch the "polar star project" in the upcoming 2005-06 season to take the first step towards its real professionalization.

"We defined the new season as an execution year in order to extend all these reforms to each club. We need insure our slogan 'serve fans, serve sponsors and serve media' could be operated properly and professionally in every stage," said Li Yuanwei, executive vice president and secretary general of the Chinese Basketball Association, on Thursday.

The polar star project is planning to reform the domestic basketball league overall, including the marketing, game system, broadcasting, public image, backup system, dancing teams, etc., in order to create a new brand of basketball league and help the national teams to win historical results in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Swiss Infront Ltd. signed a multiple-year marketing contract with the CBA, which promises at least 650-million-U.S.-dollar income each year to the league, a sum that doubles the most of the league's annual income for the past decade.

The Diamond Company donates championship rings and trophy to the league while domestic sportswear provider Anta Group builds a new lab to provide identical jerseys and sneakers to the over 300 players from the 15 teams.

A total of 308 games will be played in the new season, 42 more than the previous one, while the playoffs and finals will be Best of 5 and Best of 7 from the former Best of 3 and Best of 5.

Dongguan New Century chose the No.1 pick, American forward Anthony Miles while Fujian SBS selected No. 2 pick, center Washington, at the CBA draft in Oregon, the United States, in September, with 28 out of 500 international players joining the CBA.

League Office replaced the baskets in all courts to ensure the 24-second display and game timer will be appeared simultaneously with the TV signal.

Cheerleaders and on-court DJs received a three-day full scale training in Beijing and Shanghai for the purpose of increasing recreational elements into the CBA courts.

Brand slogan "My team, my game, my CBA" will persist while a new stage scheme "Vigorous CBA, it's your time!" is raised, hoping to build CBA as the most characterized league in China.

"The League Office tackles different perspectives to upgrade the competitiveness of the league, such as game order maintenance, court environment renovation, brand image promotion and basketball culture construction," said League Office manager Wang Xuan.

(Xinhua News Agency November 11, 2005)