BEIJING – Members of Georgetown University’s basketball team held a makeup session with the Chinese military team, the Bayi Rockets, one day after their chair-throwing, on-court brawl led to an abrupt end to their “friendly” exhibition game and prompted an online outpouring of disgust by Chinese fans.
A statement on the Georgetown team’s website said the two sides met Friday morning following “heated exchanges in an exhibition game Thursday evening.” The statement said Georgetown Coach John Thompson III and Bayi Coach Adi Jiang and their team members “shared a very cordial and friendly meeting.”
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“Coaches and players exchanged handshakes during the amicable gathering,” the statement said. It said Georgetown players Jason Clark and Hollis Thompson and Bayi players Chen Yu and Lehei De took part.
The Chinese foreign ministry had earlier told reporters that the two sides had met and exchanged souvenirs, and that some Bayi team members went to the airport Friday before the Georgetown team embarked to Shanghai.
“My understanding is that it’s all cleared up,” Cui Tiankai, the vice foreign minister, said. “We’re pleased about this outcome.”
Thursday evening’s brawl, which included punches, kicks and several players and fans wielding chairs and throwing full water bottles, came as Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. was in Beijing on a mission to enhance cooperation between the United States and China. Biden attended an earlier game Wednesday evening, when Georgetown — here on a 10-day goodwill trip — played a different team.
Chinese sports teams and their fans are notorious for violent behavior. Soccer matches held at Beijing’s Worker’s Stadium regularly draw extra police to prevent supporters from opposing sides from clashing. And last year, the coach of China’s national basketball team and three players were suspended following a brawl against the Brazilian team.
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