Photo: Courtesy of The 2024 China Basketball Open

 The 2024 China Basketball Open (CBO) kicked off its new season with a launch ceremony on Tuesday in Beijing. This year’s open tournament is calling for nationwide participation in basketball, providing grassroots players with opportunities to advance.

“As a player who rose from the grassroots to the public stage, I deeply understand the importance of basketball in mass sports. I hope more talented grassroots players can use this platform to showcase their abilities and gain opportunities to be discovered,” CBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest champion and Chinese professional basketball player Yi Jianhong told the Global Times.

The league is open to all basketball enthusiasts across the country, with competitions taking place in 32 cities. Participants will go through regional qualifiers, division matches, the national finals, and a women's championship, with national champions crowned for both the men's and women's groups.

“This season, we are partnering with Huati Sports to demonstrate our shared commitment to the concept of ‘Basketball for the People,’” Xu Jicheng, vice chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association, told the Global Times.

“The widespread development of youth and mass basketball is key to the long-term progress of Chinese basketball. Sparking the public’s interest and passion for basketball not only lays the foundation for cultivating future talent but also injects lasting vitality into the sport,” he said.

Established in 2005 and incorporated into the General Administration of Sport of China’s extensive fitness-for-all activities, the CBO has always been known for its broad scale, extensive geographic coverage, and structured competition format, playing a key role in the growth of grassroots basketball tournaments across China.

The tournament structure includes three stages – the national qualifiers, provincial finals, and national finals – providing a standardized competition platform for millions of basketball enthusiasts across the country.

Vertically, it incorporates events such as the Beijing World Chinese Basketball Tournament, the CBO Amateur Basketball Club Grand Prix, the Basketball Skills Competition, and the National Farmers Invitational Tournament. 

Organized by the Chinese Basketball Association, the CBO brings together government agencies, leading enterprises, and various sectors to promote basketball participation in every city, community, and even households, striving to involve the whole nation in sports.