Yao Ming powerless as hosts China flop at Basketball World Cup
- Fans left in tears as home side fail to progress to the second round of tournament following loss to Venezuela
- China will now compete in the low-key classification round with Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualifying in play
Yao Ming looked on helplessly and fans were left in tears as hosts China failed to progress to the second round of the Basketball World Cup with a 72-59 defeat to Venezuela on Wednesday.
In a do-or-die battle to reach the next stage, it was the South Americans who appeared to relish silencing a vocal, packed crowd at Wukesong Arena in Beijing.
Basketball, along with soccer, is the most popular sport in China. But that has failed to result in a top-class team and there is no current successor to trailblazer Yao.
The former Houston Rockets All-Star, now 38, took over as head of the Chinese Basketball Association in 2017 and set about reforming an entrenched state development system that he says badly needs an overhaul.
He might want to ramp up his development plan after this demoralising showing on home soil, the Venezuela defeat giving China a record of one victory – over the Ivory Coast – against two losses.
