Just before the Mid-Autumn Festival in 2024, the city of Basketball, Dongguan, had just suffered from a strong typhoon. As the rain stopped and the sky cleared, a basketball court that had carried the memories and passion of Dingwu Village was renovated with a brand new look!

Under the witness of numerous villagers, students, and representatives of "Village BA" players, the first "War Horse Village Public Welfare Basketball Court" was successfully completed. Gao Jianhua, the director of Dongkeng Town Cultural Service Center, Ding Xiaoyi, the secretary of Dingwu Village Party Committee, the general manager of REIGNWOOD FMCG Group Dongguan Branch Huang Hua, the marketing director Lin Zefeng and the captain of the China 3V3 basketball team Zhang Ning, participated in the inauguration and ribbon-cutting ceremony together.

A court redeemed by "points"

War Horse, a popular energy drink brand preferred by young people, has always been committed to promoting the development of basketball in China. From CBA to "Village BA," War Horse's energy support has covered both professional and grassroots.

In 2024, the year of the Olympics, with the support of Reignwood Cultural Foundation, War Horse launched a series of basketball activities under the theme of "Cheering for the Olympics and Gathering Energy Over the Country". Through hosting the War Horse Challenges, basketball carnival, and the 3-point shooting challenge in July in Donggua War Horse recorded the scores of every basketball fan's shot and accumulated nearly 120,000 points of War Horse energy value.

Finally, in the presence of Mr. Yu Zaiqing, member of the International Olympic Committee and vice chairman of the Chinese Olympic Committee, Peng Bin, president of Reignwood FMCG Group, and Wu Aihua, director of "Cheer for the Olympics" project, converted the "energy value" into charity funds, specifically used for the renovation of rural basketball courts, to support rural basketball charity programs. The Dingwu Village charity basketball court has also become the first court to be built through the exchange of "points."

"Coming from 'Village BA', Supporting 'Village BA'"

Zhang Ning, captain of China's 3V3 men's basketball team who recently concluded their Olympic journey, was also invited as a War Horse endorsed athlete to attend the inauguration ceremony of the court. In addition to his role as an inauguration guest, he also served as a coach and lecturer, interacting with grassroots players and students from the local community.

After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, basketball players from Dongguan Village BA played their first match against the young players from the remote mountain villages in Guizhou who had traveled a long way. It's worth mentioning that these young players from Guizhou's mountainous areas were selected as representatives of young players through the War Horse Energy Supporting Plan. It was the first time for them to leave the mountains and see the colorful world of basketball outside. Hearing their stories, Zhang Ning offered to be their coach and patiently explained the tactics and techniques. Whenever the team fell behind, Zhang Ning would call a timeout in time to guide them. When they played a beautiful cooperation, Zhang Ning would cheer loudly to give them more confidence and energy.

At the event, in addition to the two teams of players, there were also over 100 middle and primary school students from Dingwu Village, who were also avid basketball fans.

As an Olympic national team player and a professional CBA player, Zhang Ning gave a unique basketball public lesson on the spot and sincerely shared his own experiences and insights of his basketball career.

Looking at these children with their basketball dreams, Zhang Ning  emotionally said, "I came from countryside just like you. When I was very young, I used to run up the mountains in my village. The journey to the top was tiring, but every time I reached the top and looked down, I could see the road leading to Beijing from my village. That was the biggest motivation supporting me to chase my dream. From CUBA to professional leagues, from CBA All-Star to standing on the Olympic stage, I don't have outstanding talent, but I firmly believe that as long as I keep going, I will eventually see the dawn of my dream." Although the class lasted only half an hour, the children were all concentrated. It seemed that the seed of their dreams was quietly sprouting, waiting for the moment breaking through the soil.

Keep moving forward and write a new chapter

From early summer to late autumn, from the War Horse Basket Academy Challenge to War Horse China Tour, from Energy Night to Paris War Horse Trip, the "Cheer for the Olympics" themed series of events came to a perfect conclusion with the completion of this War Horse Basket Court for rural public welfare. However, War Horse's sports road and basketball journey will continue.

The new season of the CBA is about to begin. War Horse, as the official sponsor of the league will continue to provide energy support, offering better services to all players and fans, creating more interesting basketball activities, and living up to the love with the city's name!