Revamped Shanghai Gymnasium to host basketball final

The Shanghai Gymnasium in Xuhui District will reopen in August after renovation, and is set to host the final of the 2023 Shanghai Future Star Basketball Championship.

As a brand-new, self-developed event by Shanghai's sports authority, the championship will gather six youth teams from home and abroad to compete in Shanghai from August 8 to 12.

The six teams are: BC Vizura from Serbia, Japan's Fukuoka University Ohori High School, HsinChu Kuang-Fu High School from China's Taiwan, Eastern Basketball Youth Team from China's Hong Kong, and two Shanghai teams consisting of young players from Shanghai Sharks.

Veteran Shanghai basketball coach Li Qiuping will lead the two Shanghai teams for the tournament.

"Matches and competitions can help check players' training results," said Li. "Future Star provides a very good chance for players to identify their advantage and disadvantages."

Credit: Ti Gong

"It's also an eye-opener for the young players to communicate with their foreign counterparts," he added. "I hope there will be more competitions like this in the future."

The final of the championship will be held at the Shanghai Gymnasium. It will also be the gymnasium's debut after renovation.

Having its outer appearance and inner functions upgraded, Shanghai Gymnasium has a capacity of nearly 13,000, and can host competitions like basketball, volleyball, badminton, table tennis, snooker, boxing and eSports.

Credit: Ti Gong

Future Star is a youth sport series introduced by Shanghai Sports Bureau after years of incubation. Its football competition was introduced last year.

The series will also cover volleyball, creating an international skill exchange platform for youth athletes.