Signs of a fantastic rivalry among Asian women

KUALA LUMPUR (Mageshwaran's AsiaScope) - The biggest gain coming out of the 25th FIBA Asia Championship for Women in Bangkok last week was the early signs of a fantastic rivalry that looms in Asian women's basketball between China and Japan.

China's status and stature along with results and record is huge. Even when China brought their 'B' team to the 22nd FIBA Asia Championship for Women in Incheon, Korea in 2007 - with the main team training for the 2008 Beijing Olympics having already qualified as the hosts - Sun Fengwu marshaled the resources rather gallantly and took the team to the Gold Medal Game against Korea.

Japan, quite honestly, have been the underachievers for a long time now. The girls from the Land of the Rising Sun have had their moments of brilliance, but they have come less often and consistent than they would have liked. There was always the feeling that Japan were not hungry enough to push themselves to the next level.

This situation is about to change.

Much has been written, and more will be written, on the tremendous success achieved by the Japanese hayabusa during their 7-0 rampage in Thailand that ended a 43-year continental title drought and fetched them their only second gold in FIBA Asia Championship for Women history.

Similarly, much has been written about the promise and potential a young Chinese roster presented in Bangkok with the celebrated Aussie Tom Maher at the helm of this re-haul, which was still good enough to win them the bronze and ensure China's streak of entries to the FIBA World Championship for Women was extended through to Turkey 2014.

True, China missed the Gold Medal Game for only for the fourth time in their history, but that was brushed aside as a minor aberration.
The point is, given the young line-up that each of them presented there will be a lot to be written about these two teams - at the threshold of a longstanding rivalry.

The number of players waiting in the wings, coming through a feeder system and standing as strong prospects to make these teams is huge.

The fact that China and Japan have played all the Gold Medal Games in FIBA Asia youth group competitions starting with the 2006-07 FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Women - incidentally held in Bangkok - makes the situation even more credible for a Sino-Japan rivalry!

The results seen in Bangkok - the luminous success for Japan and the looming promise of success for China - are a part of the development process the two national federations have invested time, money and effort in.

This process has ensured there is a feeder system readily available when some of the seasoned players in the current roster make away for younger blood. And this younger blood will come with enormous international experience gained already at the youth level.

We are certainly at the threshold of a dominating rivalry between Japan and China for a long time to come in Asian women's basketball unless Korea and Chinese Taipei - the other two vertices of the East Asian quartet - pull up their socks come up with their own programs.

How well they have begun their programs - along with how well China and Japan continue theirs - will be seen when these teams line up at the 3rd FIBA Asia U16 Championship for Women two weeks from now.

So long…

S Mageshwaran

FIBA Asia

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