On Feb. 23, the 9th national convention of the CBA was held in Beijing. Yao Ming was elected as the new President by a unanimous vote. Li Jinshan, the Director of the Chinese Basketball Administrative Center, will be the Deputy President, while Bai Xilin, the Deputy Director of the Chinese Basketball Administrative Center, will be the Secretary of the CBA.

Previously, the General Administration of Sport set 7 standards for the aspiring CBA Presidential candidates: a professional basketball background; be familiar with the development of domestic and international basketball; make outstanding contributions to Chinese basketball; have high social awareness; be proactive in promoting the development of Chinese basketball; be able to enhance the influence of Chinese basketball; be a public figure.

Yao Ming becoming the new President of the CBA also means that the separation of management and administration of Chinese basketball has taken a substantial step forward. In the past, the same group of people managed both the CBA and the Chinese Basketball Administrative Center, and the position of President of the CBA was usually taken by one of the Deputy Directors of the General Administration of Sport. Since Yao Ming is not a political officer, it is unprecedented for a non-officer to take a senior position with the separation of management and administration not completed yet. And the new CBA will be very different from what it was before. When the CBA completes the separation from the Chinese Basketball Administrative Center, it will exist as a social and commercial association.  

Source: sports.163.com

Proofread by Sean O Diobhilin