Beijing (China) June 5: Five players were taken out of China's national men's basketball team roster due to injuries and tactical requirements ahead of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers and Olympic qualifying tournaments.
Qi Lin, He Xining, Du Runwang, Yu Jiahao and Wang Shaojie were removed from the roster 10 days prior to the qualifiers.
China had called up 27 players for the upcoming tournaments and gathered for training on May 25. The latest roster adjustments took place one week after the team assembled.
"These five players are young and highly competitive. We appreciate their dedication when the team needs them, and we believe this experience will become a driving force in their marching forward," read the statement.
The Chinese side plans to depart for the Philippines on June 12 for the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers, where it is placed in Group B with Malaysia, Japan and Chinese Taipei.
According to the latest schedule, China will play Japan on June 16 and Chinese Taipei on June 17, before facing Japan again on June 19 and Chinese Taipei on June 20.
Following those matches, China will compete in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Victoria, Canada, taking on Canada on June 30 and Greece on July 1 in Group A. Uruguay, the Czech Republic and Turkey are placed in Group B. Only one of the six teams will advance to the Tokyo Olympic Games through this competition.
Source: Xinhua