Shougang Sports taps Yunnan city as sport event, training land

A professional basketball city challenge game kicked off in Yunnan's Yuxi City featuring China Basketball Association's (CBA) Beijing Ducks and Zhejiang Chouzhou Commercial Bank on Friday.

The event marked the establishment of a Shougang Sports Yuxi highland training base in the city to boost the local sport-driven economy and tourism.

Shougang Sports, operator of the Beijing Ducks, boasts various IP events covering professional, international invitation and grassroots games as well as junior training camps.

Both of the Beijing and Zhejiang teams have been performing well in the league in recent years. Zhejiang made it to the semi-finals in last season while Beijing won the championship in 2012, 2014 and 2015.

Yuxi has hosted a number of sporting events including the finals of the 25th Chinese University Basketball Second Division League, attracting sports enthusiasts nationwide.

The city boasts a variety of sporting talents including Paris Olympics men's 500m double kayak champion Liu Hao and Yi Jinhong, a grassroots basketball player who was drafted by CBA's Beijing Royal Fighter in 2023.

Yuxi, located in the central hinterland of Yunnan province, offers diverse training altitudes suitable for high, medium and low vertical sports training. With a climate conducive for year-round activities and a mix of water, land and hilly training grounds, Yuxi stands as the only sports industry pilot city in the province.

In 2023, nearly 300,000 people in the city participated in various sporting events at all levels, generating a consumption value of 85 million yuan ($11.9 million) from sports and related industries.