China sees basketball brawl as 'night of shame'

A basketball game between China and visiting Puerto Rico deteriorated into a mass brawl that state media denounced as a "night of shame", saying it set a bad example for the 2008 Olympics hosts.

The fighting erupted at Beijing Capital Gymnasium on Friday night after two Chinese players charged off the bench to fight Puerto Rican players in the dying moments of a game in which China was leading comfortably.

The bad feeling spilled into the stands where 3,000 home fans hurled insults and missiles, the China Daily reported yesterday. Officials abandoned the game as the visitors fled to the locker room, one shielding his head with a chair.

NBA superstar Yao Ming, out with a toe injury, watched from the sidelines as the melee erupted but took no part.