Why is Zhang Ziyu not playing for China's Olympics Women's team? Understanding rules and regulations

Modified Jul 29, 2024 10:20 GMT

China’s Zhang Ziyu has emerged as the latest sensation in the women’s basketball world. The Chinese 17-year-old’s name has been circulating since the past week after her dominant performance in the U18 Asia Cup. The 7-foot-3-inch player singlehandedly carried the Chinese U18 team to the final of the Asia Cup.

Only if Ziyu was on the Olympic team for her country, the story of the Chinese national team would have been completely different. Unfortunately, she is ineligible to play at the Paris Olympics because of her age.

Ziyu is 17 years old and will turn 18 on May 1, 2025. According to the Olympic Charter, for a player to participate in the Olympics, he/she has to be at least 18 years old.

Moreover, she is also not eligible to enter the WNBA’s draft either. The high school player from China can only become eligible for the WNBA draft in 2027. If enters the draft and is selected by a team, she will become the tallest player in league history.

Currently, the WNBA’s all-time block leader Malgorzata “Margo” Dydek holds the record for being the tallest player in the league’s history. The Polish player stood at a height of 7-foot-2. She played for the LA Sparks in the WNBA and led the league in blocks in eight different seasons.

How did Zhang Ziyu perform in U18 Asia Cup?

In the group stage, Zhang Ziyu played three games. In the first game, she scored 19 points in just 13 minutes against Indonesia. She also had seven rebounds, three blocks and two steals.

In the next game of the group stage against New Zealand, she raised the bar. She ended up scoring 36 points along with 13 rebounds and four blocks in just 22 minutes.

In the last game of the group stage, she had an outrageous outing against Japan. Ziyu scored 44 points [a FIBA U18 record] and registered 14 rebounds. The Chinese team went undefeated in the group stage.

As the Chinese team faced Korea in the semifinals, Zhang Ziyu rose to the occasion, scoring more than half of the opponents’ total points. In a 79-61 win over the Koreans, Ziyu scored 34 points, while also registering 16 rebounds and five assists.

The Chinese team’s undefeated run ended in the final of the tournament. Even when the Chinese team lost in the finals, Zhang Ziyu was the best player on the floor. She ended the game with 42 points and 14 rebounds. Throughout the five games of the tournament, Ziyu shot 71.0% from the field.