He makes a steal, leads a fastbreak and then scores a lay-up. Even at 73, Jiang Jinshao is still running the show.

Jiang still remembers how a local newspaper in Seattle two years ago expressed doubts after he and his teammates made amazing fastbreaks and dominated the court.

"A reporter asked me what kind of things we'd eaten before the competition. I told them 'we've kept this intensive training for over a decade. It's not a miracle for us'", said Jiang, a veteran of an amateur basketball team from Guangzhou.

Jiang's team started to play together in the 1950's and has never stopped.

"We manage to play three times together every week. Even over holidays, we will try to get together and find some teams to play with.

"It is basketball that keeps us healthy, young and energetic."

"At every match during the competition, we can score points after making fastbreaks and win by over 20 points against opponents," said a jubilant Jiang after the team won the over 65 age group of the Beijing Basketball Game for Chinese of the World in Guilin, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, last weekend.

"Five members of our team are over 70. But we are able to play against those ten years junior. We are really enjoying the feeling of being young, which is a result of years of playing the sport.

"We've won successive titles in the group in this tournament and we are also frequent winners at other contests with fellow basketball enthusiasts from around the world."

The Fourth Beijing Basketball Game for Chinese of the World was initiated by the Beijing Sports Bureau in 2004 and is part of the Chinese Amateur Basketball Open (CBO). More than 1,000 people of Chinese origin from 12 countries and regions joined in.

"We took on teams from USA and Malaysia. They were younger but still could not beat us," smiled Jiang. "But off the court, we are very good friends."

NBA inspiration

Jiang has witnessed the increasing popularity of the sport among Chinese around the world.

"More and more people are talking about basketball. Also there are more young people choosing the sport as their career in my home town," Jiang said.

Jiang's province Guangdong is home to former CBA champions Guangdong Hongyuan, which has produced promising national team guards Chen Jianghua and Liu Xiaoyu, not to mention NBA prospect Yi Jianlian.

Expectation for Yi - who is expected to be a lottery pick - has further increased interest in the sport after Yao Ming joined the Houston Rockets in 2002 and began developing into a quality center.

"When more and more fellow Chinese basketball players are able to prove themselves in NBA, more people will be crazy about the sport," said Erwin, an Indonesian-Chinese who plays for Samudera basketball club.

Erwin said Yao and Wang Zhizhi, the first Chinese in the NBA, have inspired overseas Chinese to play the game.

"It is not easy for Chinese basketball players to be recognized internationally. Yao and Wang have managed to make it and Yi will soon follow in their footsteps.

"China needs superstars in basketball and it will encourage more to join in."

With the sport gaining popularity, various amateur-orientation events like the Basketball Game for Chinese of the World are joining the CBO to develop the sport.

More stars needed

China's top basketball official believes the sport's popularity among the young and the old is the result of the development of the domestic league and influence of international stars like Yao.

"High level domestic leagues like CBA and CUBA (top flight league for university students) are the motivation for the development of grassroots sport, while star icons like Yao and Yi are inspiring more youngsters to take part," said Zhang Faqiang, president of China Basketball Association.

The CBO is part of the efforts to further develop the grassroots level.

"Before the CBO there were numerous local competitions in different corners of the country. But the CBO links them together and gives local teams the chance of a broader range of competition," said Zhang.

Also the vice chairman of Chinese Olympic Committee, Zhang said the Olympics gives the sport another shot in the arm.

"The tournament and the CBO have become important parts of the Beijing Olympics program - National Fitness and Olympic Glory. The hopes rest on Yao, Wang and Yi's team to fire up enthusiasm for the sport. "

China equalled its best performance at an Olympics in Athens with a final eight finish. But the development of Yao and Yi means the target for the team next year is a medal.

Next year's Beijing Basketball Game for Chinese of the World will also return to its inaugural host city and is expected to draw more overseas Chinese basketball enthusiasts.

(China Daily June 8, 2007)