Chinese men's basketball team won the Asian championship and its women's under-20 side took the best ever finish - a fourth place - in the world championships in 2005, neither of which, however, created much attention in the country.

Li Yuanwei, executive vice president of the Chinese Basketball Association, said these achievements were the key to the Chinese basketball reform in the year of 2005.

"I cannot imagine how many difficulties we would have met for the reform if we hadn't achieved those good results," said Li, also director of the Chinese Basketball Administration Center.

Li called the year of 2005 the "Executive Year" of the "Polar Star Project", which was launched in the 2005-06 season of the Chinese Basketball Association league (CBA) in November.

The project is aiming to create more space to the sports market, leaving less power to the governmental bureau.

A CBA Office is set up to take charge of the domestic leagues of men and women, with the Swiss marketing company, Infront Ltd., entering to become the marketing agent of the leagues.

The CBA received at least 6.5 million U.S. dollar annually from Infront, an amount which almost doubles the highest-paid contract for the league in the past decade.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is vying against Infront for the promoting right of the Chinese national team for the next three years.

A basketball institution has been founded and a new website is on the wing.

"The reform is to put the Chinese basketball on the right track, not just for some good results at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games," Li said.

(Xinhua News Agency December 26, 2005)