CBA League New Season Work Conference: Increase Punishment for Discriminatory and Injurious Remarks, Accept Reports on Match-Fixing, Gambling, and Corruption

Today, the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) updated its official social media to report on the 2024-2025 season CBA League work conference.

The specific content is as follows:

The 2024-2025 Season CBA League Work Conference was held in Beijing

On September 27, the 2024-2025 season of the Chinese Men’s Professional Basketball League (hereinafter referred to as “CBA League”) work conference was held in Beijing. Guo Zhenming, the Joint Party Secretary of the Basketball Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China and Vice Chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association, Xu Jicheng, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association, Xiao Hong’an, Director of the Competition Department of the Chinese Basketball Association, Xue Yunfei, Team Leader of the Chinese National Men’s Basketball Team, Jiang Jian, General Manager of CBA League (Beijing) Sports Co., Ltd., along with the general managers and head coaches of the 20 CBA clubs attended the meeting.

The 2024-2025 season of the CBA League is about to enter its 30th season. At the meeting, Jiang Jian, General Manager of CBA League (Beijing) Sports Co., Ltd., introduced the key points of work for the 2024-2025 season of the CBA League.

The 2024-2025 season of the CBA League will start on October 12, 2024, and end no later than May 26, 2025. To further enhance the competitiveness of the league and cultivate high-level local talent, adjustments have been made in areas such as the number of game rounds and foreign player playing policies. Additionally, a new event – the CBA Club Cup – is planned to be launched during the season. Moreover, a series of measures will be taken in marketing, business operations, TV broadcasting, and other aspects around the theme of “30 Years of the CBA League” to create a new season of great historical significance.

Subsequently, Xiao Hong’an, Director of the Competition Department of the Chinese Basketball Association, conveyed the requirements of the Chinese Basketball Association regarding tournament management and sportsmanship and discipline. In the new season, the Chinese Basketball Association will continue to strengthen the management of sportsmanship and discipline. All parties must implement the requirements of the General Administration of Sport of China, adhere to industry norms, enforce league regulations, and maintain fair competition in professional leagues with a strict tone, zero-tolerance attitude, and standardized management. Specific measures include targeted amendments and improvements to the league’s disciplinary code, particularly increasing penalties for malicious injuries, discriminatory remarks, and illegal acts; establishing channels for reporting and complaints to accept reports and complaints from all parties on violations and disciplinary issues such as match-fixing, gambling, and corruption in basketball events; clarifying the appeal procedures for controversial refereeing decisions, setting up a referee supervision group responsible for refereeing supervision, determination of objections to refereeing decisions, publicizing disciplinary results, and related work during the league period.

At this meeting, a special ceremony of gratitude to the Chinese National Men’s Basketball Team training squad was held. As a representative, Xue Yunfei, Team Leader of the Chinese National Men’s Basketball Team, expressed thanks to all the clubs that have long supported the national team’s training, preparation, and competitions, and hoped to work together with all the clubs to continuously improve the competitiveness of the national team and win more honors on the international stage.

Subsequently, Secretary Guo Zhenming expressed sincere gratitude to the league clubs for their strong support of the men’s national team’s preparations and conveyed to all participants the speech by Gao Zhidan, Minister of the General Administration of Sport of China, at the summary meeting of the 33rd Olympic Games Chinese Sports Delegation, the speech at the warning education meeting of the General Administration of Sport of China on “Comprehensively Strengthening the Construction of Party Discipline to Provide Strong Political and Disciplinary Style Guarantees for Accelerating the Construction of a Sports Power,” and the requirements put forward by Liu Guoyong, Deputy Director of the General Administration of Sport of China and Chairman of the CBA League Organizing Committee. Guo Zhenming emphasized the need to further strengthen the leadership of the Communist Party of China in all aspects of the league’s competitive organization and club participation, from the league company to the grassroots party organizations of participating clubs, and to give full play to the role of party branches as fortresses. The leadership of the Communist Party of China should run through the entire league. It is necessary to raise political awareness and view the development of the CBA League from the perspective of implementing the strategy of “Revitalizing the Big Three Sports” and building a sports power, taking on the responsibility of winning glory for the country and enriching people’s spiritual and cultural lives. It is imperative to draw profound lessons from anti-corruption warning education cases in the football field and the chess industry and use them as a mirror. Correcting sportsmanship and discipline is the top priority, and cracking down on match-fixing, gambling, and corruption is paramount. The red line must be drawn firmly, and strict enforcement without compromise is non-negotiable. It is necessary to promote reform and governance through cases, learn from one case and avoid similar mistakes, and manage together.

At the end of the meeting, the general managers and head coaches of the 20 clubs, as the main responsible persons, signed the 2024-2025 Season Chinese Men’s Professional Basketball League Responsibility Document on behalf of their clubs.

In the afternoon, all participants conducted group discussions, offering suggestions on competition rules, business management, business promotion, etc., widely consolidating industry consensus, seizing the opportunity of the 30th anniversary of the league, earnestly implementing the requirements and instructions of the league work conference, and jointly promoting the development of Chinese basketball.