Song Xiaobo was born in Beijing, with both parents being basketball coaches.
Standing at 1.82 meters tall, as a forward, she had comprehensive skills, versatile moves, excelled at dribbling past defenders, had coordinated jump shots, flexible baseline penetration, and was an all-around player strong on both offense and defense. Song Xiaobo not only had outstanding basketball skills,
but also possessed a strong will. In 1975, representing the Beijing team at the 3rd National Games, the underage Song played a key role in helping Beijing win the championship. In the same year, she was selected for the national team and later became the captain of the national women's basketball team.
In 1979, she led the Beijing women's basketball team to another National Games title. At the age of 18, Song Xiaobo and her teammates on the Chinese women’s basketball squad claimed their first Asian Cup title. In the early 1980s, the South Korean women’s basketball team, powered by the then world’s best center Park Chan-sook, became the biggest obstacle for China to win the Asian championship. Song Xiaobo and her teammates trained hard and finally defeated the South Korean team at the 1982 New Delhi Asian Games, establishing China’s dominance as the top women’s basketball team in Asia.
Song Xiaobo was a representative figure of Chinese women’s basketball in the 1970s and 1980s. At the 1983 FIBA Women's World Championship, she won the “Top Scorer” award and was named to the “All-World Team” — an honor never before achieved by Chinese basketball. As the team captain, Song led the Chinese women’s basketball team to win the bronze medal at that world championship, marking the best historical result for China at the time.
Due to her athletic achievements and height, Song Xiaobo served as the flag bearer for the Chinese delegation at the Los Angeles Olympics, raising the five-starred red flag over the city. The Chinese women’s basketball team unexpectedly lost to the South Korean team in the semifinals. In the preliminary round, the South Koreans had trailed China by over thirty points. Believing the semifinal would be a sure win, they ended up losing, and the Chinese team ultimately took the bronze. This bronze medal is now considered almost unattainable, but Song Xiaobo still believes they could have pushed further for the gold. She considers it the biggest regret of her life to this day.
Song Xiaobo was named one of China’s Top Ten Athletes three times. The Chinese women’s basketball team, under her captaincy, was honored with titles such as “National New Long March Pioneers” and “March 8th Red-Banner Pacesetters.” In 1999, Song Xiaobo received the highest honor in Chinese basketball — being named one of the “50 Greatest Figures in New China Basketball.”
Hey, did you also meet this basketball queen in beautiful Qiandao Lake? Here's a little scoop: Song Xiaobo will be participating in the opening ceremony of the Audi 2015 China International Camping Congress Qiandao Lake Station, the Color Run, and the Family Outdoor Experience Camp. She will also be teaching a basketball class on-site at the outdoor experience camp. If you want to play a one-on-one basketball match with her or learn from her, sign up and join us quickly!