The host locations for the regional competitions of the 2026 National Harmonious and Beautiful Rural Basketball Tournament (Village BA) have been officially announced, with the Central Division games scheduled to take place in Xingwen County, Yibin City. This marks the arrival of this immensely popular nationwide rural sports event in Sichuan Province.
Why was Yibin Xingwen chosen? Its profound basketball culture is the primary reason. Basketball enjoys an extensive grassroots foundation here: the county's 271 standard basketball courts achieve full coverage across all administrative villages. Over 30 village-level basketball teams are consistently active, and township-level leagues are held annually. In recent years, Xingwen has hosted more than 30 county-level and above basketball tournaments, cumulatively attracting over 100,000 participants.
Furthermore, the Xingwen County basketball team demonstrated its strong competitive prowess by securing the runner-up position in the 2024 Sichuan Provincial "Village BA" finals and clinching the championship title in the 2025 edition. Beyond its solid grassroots support, well-developed sports facilities provide a robust guarantee for hosting the event. In preparation for the tournament, Xingwen County has readied 3 standard competition venues, complemented by 7 training gyms and 13 illuminated courts.
Within a 5-kilometer radius of the event's core area, an additional 6 standard courts are available as supplementary venues. Collectively, these facilities can accommodate up to 8,000 spectators for live viewing, meeting the high-standard hardware requirements for a national-level competition. This national basketball extravaganza will also feature a deep integration of "sports + culture and tourism." According to a relevant official from the Xingwen County People's Government, a series of exclusive activities themed "Watch Village BA, Tour Xingwen" will be launched during the event.
While enjoying thrilling basketball games, spectators will also have the opportunity to appreciate intangible cultural heritage performances such as the Miao ethnic group's Lusheng dance and Daba high-stilt acts. They can savor local delicacies like Xingwen mountain black-bone chicken and Zhuerba (glutinous rice dumplings), experience the unique Long Table Banquet and Stone Sea Leisure Banquet, and get a close-up look at the charm of bamboo crafts and Miao embroidery. Additionally, local planners are combining spectating with tours of Xingwen's scenic spots, including the Stone Sea, Bowang Mountain, and Xianfeng Mountain.
Beyond hosting the National Village BA Central Division games, the Sichuan Provincial "Village BA" grassroots competitions and finals for this year are also set to be held in Xingwen County.