Despite losing Olympic status, famous team still supports the game here.

The New York Yankees have shown great faith in baseball's future in China despite the fact it will not appear at the next two Olympic Games.

Brian Cashman, general manager of the Yankees, said it was a pity baseball had been kicked out of the Olympic Games in 2012 and 2016 but he remained positive about the sport's destiny in the most populous country at the New York Yankees World Series Championship Trophy China Tour yesterday in Beijing.

"It (the sport's dismissal) is really disappointing, not only for China, the US, but every country where baseball is played in the world. It will hurt the sport," Cashman told China Daily.

"But the good thing is more and more kids are embracing the sport in China and it's good to learn the Chinese sports ministry has decided to keep it in the National Games, which is very important to the development of the sport in the country."

The State General Administration of Sport announced on Monday that baseball and softball would still be played at the National Games in 2013. That should ensure local financial support for the sports.

A cautious Cashman warned that growth in the sport here would not happen overnight and said Chinese players were still not good enough for top-level competition.

"You have to learn to crawl, then walk and then run," he said of China's development in the game.

His words were echoed by Randy Levine, president of the Yankees, who said he couldn't say when a baseball version of Yao Ming, the Houston Rockets All-Star center, would show up.

"I don't know. I really don't know when it will happen. But China has so many great athletes. Based on talent, as long as the people turn their focus to this sport, there is no doubt they will have the chance to compete at the top level."

To help China move forward, the Yankees picked up Zhang Kai, a pitcher from the Guangdong club in the China Baseball League in 2007 and arranged for him to play in the US's Gulf Coast League.

In the minor leagues Zhang was not only expected to hone his skills but also to learn how the system was managed in a highly-professional environment.

"There is really a big gap between the Chinese league and American one. The level of competition, the fans, the promotion. It really opened my eyes," said Zhang, who has returned to China to play.

Having invited Chinese teams to train at Yankee Stadium and providing the youth program with sports goods and facilities, the Yankees will now send players and coaches to instruct the Chinese youngsters after the youth league ends in August.

The league, which will be launched next month, will comprise 300 teams, mainly from southern China, according to Kenneth Huang, the CEO of QSL Sports, which is working with the CBA and the Yankees on the sport's development programs in China.

"We hope to double the number of the teams next year and raise it to above 1,000 the year after," Huang said.

Huang also said his company was working on a yearly match between China and Chinese Taipei, which is expected to be launched this year in Jiangsu.

Meanwhile, Yu Jun, the sport's chief, said the Wukesong baseball field, which was used for the 2008 Olympic Games and then dismantled, will be moved to Xiamen in Fujian province to promote the games between China and Chinese Taipei.

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