Former NBA star Yao Ming said Monday that China's bold step to revive the popularity of football sport in schools was on the right track and could even raise "envy" from circles of other sports.
前NBA明星姚明3月9日表示，中國在校園重振足球運動的聲望這一大膽的舉措是走對路了，這樣的舉措甚至可能使其他體育領域“嫉妒”。

China's central reform leading group, captained by President Xi Jinping who is a football fan, in February kicked off a plan to improve its football performance, which has embarrassed the nation in recent years.
擔任中央改革領導小組組長的習近平主席是一個足球迷，該小組今年二月啟動了中國足球改革方案，意在提升近年來讓國家尷尬蒙羞的國足表現。

More efforts would be made at the grassroots level to nurture young talents and to ensure the integration of professional clubs, school teams and amateur teams, according to the decision.
根據決定，國家將加大力度培養基層青少年足球人才，確保專業足球俱樂部，學校隊伍和業余隊伍的集成。

"I am very glad to see that school football has been included in the plan," said Yao, a member of the National Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. "It is a very correct decision."
“我很高興看到校園足球被納入這個方案當中，”作為中國政治協商會議全國委員會委員之一的姚明表示，“這個決定很正確。”

"As one who is from the circle of basketball, I must say that I am very envious (of the plan)," he?said at?a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the top political advisory body.
“作為籃球界的一員，我必須說我很嫉妒（這個方案），”他在全國政協記者會上告訴記者。

"I hope to see more details about how to implement the plan including the roles that different departments and sectors would play in promoting the reform," he said.
“我希望了解更多關于完善這個方案的細節，包括不同部門在實施這項改革中的起到的作用。”他表示。

"The biggest problem of China's football game is that it is too far from schools," he said. "Any cultivation of talent, without the basis of school education, would not be realistic or sustainable."
“中國足球最大的問題在于脫離了校園，”他稱。“離開了基本的學校教育，任何人才的培養都是不現實的，無法維持的。”

"I hope there will be another plan that promotes basketball in schools in the near future," he added.
“我希望在不久的將來，會有另一個方案開展校園籃球，”他補充道。

China's move to raise the level of football game came as its national team has failed to qualify for the World Cup for the past decade.
在過去十年中，中國國家足球隊一直未能入圍世界杯，如今中國開始著手提高足球比賽的水平了。

China must overcome its "defective system," which has impeded the development of the sport, and provide better "institutional guarantees" for its development, according to the central reform leading group's decision.
根據中央改革領導小組的決定，中國必須改變阻礙了足球發展的有缺陷的體系，為其發展提供更好的制度保障。

Vocabulary
bold：大膽的
amateur：業余的
defective：有缺陷的

（譯者：蘇玉和SCNU? 編輯：馬文英）