The deal between the China Basketball Association (CBA) and the wholly owned subsidiary of Infront Sports & Media’s covers all major aspects of the marketing and technical development of the Chinese men’s, women’s and youth national teams.
Infront will market all commercial opportunities, including sponsorship, television, new media and image rights.
The agreement includes a comprehensive technical development plan for the teams, which was jointly designed by the CBA and Infront.
It comprises recruitment of foreign coaching staff, nutritionists, scouts, psychologists, and other fitness experts, as well as arrangement of qualified opponents for friendly matches according to the requirements of the CBA.
Infront will use an extensive network taking advantage of top international basketball experts and institutions, including FIBA, the world’s governing body for the sport.
Paul Wong, general manger of Infront’s Beijing office, said: “With both properties under one roof, Infront and the CBA can work closely to improve the performance and marketing potential of both the national team and the professional league.
“This is a great opportunity since most national team players also play in the CBA or WCBA league. With the ever increasing popularity of the sport and the great potential that Chinese basketball has, Infront is looking forward to position Chinese basketball as one of the main attractions for the upcoming global 2008 Olympics.”
Basketball already is the most popular sport in China. China’s men’s and women’s teams rank 14th and 9th in FIBA world rankings.
The national superstar is Yao Ming (25), who plays for the NBA’s Houston Rockets.
