Song Xiaobo (; born September 8, 1958) is a Chinese

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. She is perhaps the most celebrated woman basketball player of the 1970s era in China; as a player she had outstanding all around ball skills, a very high level of athleticism, and a clear, bright, driving work ethic. Song was outstanding at every position from

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

and she enjoys acclaim as "China's greatest female basketball player of all time". She is currently the

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of a sports promotion company in Beijing.

Basketball career

Song Xiaobo was born to a basketball family in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

; both her mother and father played basketball. In 1975 she competed for Beijing in the 3rd Chinese National Games, and in 1979 in the 4th Chinese National Games; and in 1977, 1979 and 1981 in the Chinese National Women's Basketball Tournament. Sung's first participation as a member of the

China women's national basketball team The China women's national basketball team represents the People's Republic of China in international women's basketball tournaments. The national team is governed by the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Tournament record Olympic Games *19 ...

came in 1983 at the

FIBA World Championship for Women The FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, also known as the Basketball World Cup for Women or simply the FIBA Women's World Cup, is an international basketball tournament for women's national teams held quadrennially. It was created by the Internati ...

; China won the bronze medal and Song received two individual awards, forthwith becoming the pre-eminent woman basketballer in China, and presently the captain of the national team. At the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...

Sung represented the Chinese athletic delegation and carried the national flag at the opening ceremonies; soon thereafter she and the team stood on the medal platform having won the bronze medal. During this era she also led the national team to their 4th and 5th Asian championships out of 9 possible total chances. In 1985, after retiring from play, Sung began a career as a basketball coach in China, and toured to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

and other places as a teacher and coach. At the present she is chairman of a Beijing-based sports promotion company, working in creating financing and investment for sports organizations, especially for basketball leagues and facilities.

Honors and awards

* 1979, 1982 1983, listed on the China Top Ten List of Athletes * 1983 World Women's Basketball Championship Top scorer and MVP ::1983 World Women's Basketball Championship team bronze medal * 1984 Olympics team bronze medal * 4 Asian championships * Chosen to "China's Top 50 Basketball Players of All Time" list

References

This article was translated from :zh:宋晓波

External links

Song Xiaobo at sina.com

Song Xiaobo at sohu.com
* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Song, Xiaobo 1958 births Living people Chinese women's basketball players Chinese women's basketball coaches Basketball players from Beijing Basketball players at the 1984 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Olympic basketball players for China Olympic bronze medalists for China Olympic medalists in basketball Basketball players at the 1978 Asian Games Basketball players at the 1982 Asian Games Asian Games medalists in basketball Asian Games gold medalists for China Asian Games silver medalists for China Medalists at the 1978 Asian Games Medalists at the 1982 Asian Games Centers (basketball) Guards (basketball)