Asian University Sports Federation and Realeague Partner to Launch Pan-Regional Collegiate Basketball League 29 Nov 2024 | in

Hong Kong, China – Asian University Sports Federation (AUSF) and Realeague, the sports holding company committed to unlocking the potential of Asian basketball, have entered a 10-year partnership to create a pan-regional collegiate league, starting 2025, to strengthen exchanges among Asia’s top university basketball programs.

The signing ceremony held in Hong Kong was joined by Seetow Cheng Fave, Secretary General of AUSF, and Jintian Jay Li, Founder and CEO of Realeague, who pledged their commitment towards building the league and associated programs that will support athletic excellence and spotlight elite student athletes across some of the region’s iconic higher education institutions.

Sanctioned by AUSF and operated by Realeague, the new league’s first season will start in the second half of 2025. Realeague and AUSF will work closely to identify the universities and unveil the annual calendar in the coming months.

“College basketball is the bedrock of Asian basketball’s future and awaits a huge potential to be unleashed,” said Li. “A pan-regional league is our answer to the calling. We are very excited to join force with AUSF to start building the right platform that encourages positive sports rivalries and supports talent development at the university level.”

Said Seetow: “Basketball is incredibly popular across Asian universities. AUSF is committed to creating better competition platforms for students to participate in. We are thankful to Realeague for their partnership and investment to build the pan-regional collegiate league. It will certainly contribute to elevate the level of competitiveness of university basketball across the region.”

To celebrate this groundbreaking partnership, Realeague is hosting Asian University Basketball Challenge from 28 November to 1 December at the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park Sports Centre in Hong Kong. As a test event for the league, the invitational tournament brought basketball teams from six universities in Korea, Japan, Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong, China, notably including Tsinghua University, Peking University, Yonsei University and City University of Hong Kong.

Added Li: “Hong Kong, China has what it takes to be the sporting capital for college basketball of Asia. Many student athletes currently participating in the Asian University Basketball College are first-time visitors to Hong Kong and they are absolutely loving it. With Kai Tak Sports Park’s completion, I see the possibility that the city can be a regular host for some of Asia’s most storied college basketball games in the near future.”

As a part of its commitment to community development in Hong Kong, China, Realeague partnered with InspiringHK Sports Foundation to organize a basketball clinic during the invitational tournament for more than 40 junior and high school students in the city. Participants in the age group of 13 to 18 were coached by university teams’ coaches and players along with Realeague’s staff for basketball skills, dribbling, shooting and teamwork.

(Courtesy of press release of Realeague)