Hoop Dreams in Henan: Village BA Finals Tip Off in Thrilling 2024 Showdown
2024 Henan Province Hemei Rural Basketball Competition (Village BA) Finals Opens
Exciting Basketball Feast in Jiyuan
CCTV News: “I am delighted to see the rice and beans rolling in waves, and heroes everywhere in the evening smoke.” At 19:30 on September 7, the 2024 Henan Hemei Rural Basketball Tournament (Village BA) finals officially opened in Lilin Town, Jiyuan.
Distinguished Guests Attend the Opening Ceremony
Zhou Chunyan, Vice Chairman of the 12th Provincial CPPCC and Deputy Secretary of the Party Group, Song Juguo, Vice President of the Central Agricultural Radio and Television School, Ma Wanli, First-level Inspector of the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Ye Wen, former Second-level Inspector of the Provincial Sports Bureau, Zhang Hongyi, Director of the Management Committee and Mayor of Jiyuan Industry-City Integration Demonstration Zone, Hou Bo, Zhao Shan, Li Huilin, Zhao Huisheng, Niu Shaowei, Miao Pu, leaders of the Jiyuan Demonstration Zone, as well as guests from various cities and counties attended the opening ceremony.
18 Teams Compete in the Tournament
There are a total of 18 teams and 216 athletes from 17 provincial cities and Jiyuan Demonstration Zone in this competition. From September 7 to 11, the competition will be fiercely competed in a group round-robin and cross-elimination system, presenting a wonderful basketball feast for the fans.
Jiyuan: The Hometown of Basketball
“Jiyuan is a long-renowned ‘hometown of basketball’ and one of the first ‘eight major basketball cities’ named in the country. It has a profound basketball culture and a large ‘basketball population’.” Zhang Hongyi, director of the Demonstration Zone Management Committee and mayor, said, “In recent years, Jiyuan has held a number of major events and focused on promoting the integrated development of agriculture, sports, culture and tourism. This has not only enriched the spiritual and cultural life of the people and given new vitality to rural culture, but also provided a publicity platform for local characteristic industries, achieving the goal of ‘bringing up industries, boosting popularity and making rural areas beautiful’.”
Vibrant Opening Ceremony
At the opening ceremony, the dance “Seven Bowls of Tea Song” welcomed guests with tea as a gift; the passionate and unrestrained children’s basketball street dance performance was full of energy; the song “Basketball Court at the Head of the Village” sang the love of Jiyuan people for basketball; the energetic cheerleading and creative show performances danced out the farmers’ yearning for a better life and the changes in rural life. At the scene, more than 10,000 people came to watch the opening ceremony. The stands were full. Many people brought small stools to “take advantage of every opportunity” or simply sat on the ground on the sidelines. The live broadcast screens around the stadium, snack stalls, and agricultural product exhibition stands were crowded and lively.
Exciting Match Between Jiyuan and Hebi
At 8 p.m., the opening match officially kicked off amid the eager anticipation of the fans on the scene. The host Jiyuan Demonstration District team faced the Hebi Qibin District team. The players fought hard, dribbled past the opponent, dribbled, and made layups. The scores rose alternately. The exciting and fierce confrontation made the game climax again and again. The audience applauded and cheered from time to time.
Rural Basketball Culture on Display
It is understood that the 2024 Henan Province Hemei Rural Basketball Competition (Village BA) finals will have four competition areas: Lilin Village in Lilin Town, Sili Village in Sili Town, Zaolin Village in Chengliu Town, and Miaohou Village in Beihai Street. Before the competition, each competition area upgraded and renovated the competition venue and village appearance, hoping to show the new style of Jiyuan farmers and the new style of beautiful villages while watching the game, and bring everyone more new experiences about rural basketball culture.
Unity, Encouragement, and Rural Revitalization
The countryside becomes beautiful, the villagers get active, and their lives become rich. The 2024 Henan Province Hemei Rural Basketball Competition (Village BA) Finals is a two-way race between basketball and rural culture, and also a grand event for unity, encouragement, cohesion, and rural revitalization. Jiyuan Demonstration Zone will take this competition as an opportunity to meet the fitness needs of farmers and promote the comprehensive development of agriculture and rural areas as the starting point and foothold of farmers’ sports work, make persistent efforts, hold the “Village BA” one after another, and continue to generate strong momentum on the fertile soil of rural revitalization, so that farmers can make their own voices and show their own style in rural revitalization.