China's Yao Ming rules out London Olympics comeback

Former Houston Rockets center Yao Ming said here on Thursday that there will be no possibility for him to play for China in next year's London Olympic Games. "There was no such a possibility because my foot injuries have not fully recovered and that's why I retired from the national basketball team two months ago," he said. But he added that he would go to watch the games and cheer for the Chinese team, who just won the title of the Asian Championship and a berth for the Londo Games earlier this week. Speaking at a press conference held at Perth, the state capital of Western Australia, Yao said he had a lot of contacts with Australian basketball teams and played with Australian team mates several times a year, which helped him learn more about Australia. Yao arrived at Perth on Wednesday to attend the Cable Beach Invitational to be held at Broome, a tourist town 2200 km north of Perth on Friday and Saturday. The invitational is joinly organized by Western Australian government and RV Sport company based in Perth. This is the first time for such an open-door international basketball match to be held close to the famous Cable Beach in Broome. Talking about his impression on Australia, Yao said he had been to Australia twice, in 1997 and 2000 separately. "I came to Sydney in 2000 to attend the Olympic Games. Across Australia, there is totally different experience waiting for you. I am looking forward to seeing more of it. This morning I already viewed the beautiful sun and also had a good breakfast in Perth," he said. This time Yao attends the basketball invitational not as a player but as the owner of Shanghai Sharks, which was also the first basketball team Yao served. Also attending the invitational are Perth's Wild Cats, Singapore's Slinger and Indonesian national team. When asked if he could still play for China at the London Olympics Games next year, Yao said there was no such a possibility because his foot injuries have not fully recovered and that' s why he retired from the national basketball team two months ago. But he added that he would go to watch the games and cheer for the Chinese team. The Cable Beach Invitational starts on Friday with Shanghai Sharks play with Indonesian team.