Kids program bearing fruit

Chinese Basketball Association vice-president Xu Minfeng said on Wednesday that the country's "mini-basketball" program attracted 180,000 children in 2019.

The national governing body has been pushing the initiative since Yao Ming was elected CBA chairman in February 2017. The program is designed for kids aged between 6 and 12, and features a lower basket, smaller ball and a smaller court.

"Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we couldn't hold any mini-basketball games. But we can organize online skills challenges," said Xu.