- Man Utd target Amorim says no decision before Friday
- US Fed's favored inflation gauge cools in September
- All Blacks coach Robertson defends haka after jibe from England's Marler
- French PM Barnier 'doing well' after operation
- Two children among three dead in Ukraine airstrike
- Nepal's day of the dog as part of Hindu celebrations
- Not enough time in universe for monkeys to pen Shakespeare: study
- South Africa sweep Bangladesh series with crushing innings victory
- All Blacks recall big guns for England clash
- Musk to appear in court as part of Trump campaign suit
- Sales slump 27% at carmaker Stellantis
- French PhD student held in Tunisia: supervisor
- US envoys in Israel to seek Lebanon truce plan
- EU probes shopping app Temu over illegal products
- Spain mourns after historic floods kill 95
- New doubt over production cuts in plastic pollution treaty
- Top MotoGP riders want Valencia race moved after deadly floods
- Yao Ming quits as head of China's basketball association
- Eurozone inflation rebounds more than expected in October
- Man Utd set to announce Amorim as new manager
- Hong Kong economic growth misses forecast in third quarter: data
- Snow forecast next week on Mt Fuji, at last
- Faker: eSports legend and South Korea 'national treasure'
- Sho-time! Japan fans ecstatic as Ohtani becomes World Series champ
- 90 Rohingya left 'stranded' on Indonesia beach
- As US election rhetoric heats up, illegal border crossings fall
- Snooker legend Ronnie O'Sullivan granted residency in Hong Kong
- 'We'll survive': Ukrainians on front brace for hard winter
- Lips, teeth and breasts: Albania cashes in on medical tourism
- Bangladesh 137-8 at lunch, trail by 438, as five-star Rabada strikes
- Iannone to race at Malaysian MotoGP after four-year doping ban
- Russia stirs up anti-LGBTQ prejudice in Moldova 'information war'
- Germany to bury nuclear waste but toxic dispute unresolved
- All eyes on US TV networks for 'high stakes' election night
- Bank of Japan warns of 'high uncertainties' after election
- World Series MVP Freeman 'ecstatic' after Dodgers triumph
- Australian rising golf star loses sight in eye after freak accident
- Samsung Q3 operating profits soar to $6.6 bn, miss forecast
- Dodgers star Ohtani 'honored' by maiden World Series win
- Yankees manager says Dodgers defeat will 'sting forever'
- UK treads fine line on slavery legacy, while ruling out reparations
- German president visits Greek village gutted by Nazi forces
- Asian stocks uneven after shaky Wall Street lead
- Los Angeles Dodgers beat New York Yankees 7-6 to win World Series
- Papua New Guinea to boycott 'waste of time' UN climate summit
- China factory output expands for first time in six months
- Shells to surfboards: how wildlife has adapted to plastic
- Riding for the Disabled transformed my life, says dressage great Baker
- To tackle plastic scourge, Philippines makes companies pay
- Pacers hold off Celtics in overtime, Cavs rout Lakers in James family return
Yao Ming quits after seven years as head of Chinese basketball
NBA legend Yao Ming has quit as head of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) after seven years in the job because of the national team's poor performances, he said Thursday.
Basketball is immensely popular in China and the former Rockets centre is the country's most famous star, even after he retired from playing in 2011.
Yao told state news agency Xinhua that he was standing down because "the performances and results of the national team have regrettably not met expectations".
The 44-year-old has previously been critical of the men's national team, labelling the players "slackers" and warning there was a "huge gap" between them and the world's best teams.
He said last year he would "take responsibility" after they failed to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The CBA confirmed it had approved his resignation on Thursday, saying his decision came "after careful consideration and based on considerations for the development of China's basketball and personal planning".
He has chosen to depart with about two years left on his term to allow the association a full Olympic cycle to improve the team, Xinhua said.
- 'Sincere gratitude' -
A CBA statement quoted Yao as saying that "basketball is a career I have always adored, whether in the past, present or future".
"I hope that everyone will continue to support Chinese basketball with me in the future," he said.
The CBA said the national sport administration "expressed sincere gratitude" to Yao for his work.
"It is believed that Yao Ming has done a lot of fruitful work in building the foundation of bringing basketball to the masses... (and) improving the level of the national team", the association said.
Yao "is still a member of the Chinese basketball family and we believe he will continue to contribute to Chinese basketball", it added.
His successor, Guo Zhenming, pledged to deepen reforms in the domestic game and help China become a basketball heavyweight.
"Taking the baton of leading the CBA is a heavy responsibility and a glorious mission," Guo was quoted as saying.
- Giant of the game -
Born in Shanghai, Yao -- who stands a towering 2.29 metres (7.5 feet) tall -- is one of China's most recognised athletes.
He was drafted by the Houston Rockets in 2002 and won a succession of personal accolades, becoming a Basketball Hall of Famer and later a business magnate and cultural ambassador.
With a languid but deceptively agile playing style, as well as his wry humour and fluent English, Yao quickly became a fan favourite in the US and the pride of sports aficionados back home.
But his playing career was plagued by injuries and he retired at the age of 30.
No Chinese player has come close to matching his achievements in the years since his retirement, a period also marked by increasingly fraught tensions between Washington and Beijing.
Nogueira--PC