A basketball game between China and visiting Puerto Rico deteriorated into a brawl Friday night in an incident state media termed a bad example by the future Olympic hosts.
The fighting erupted at Beijing Capital Gymnasium when two Chinese players charged off the bench after seeing teammate Yi Jianlian fouled hard by Puerto Rican center Manuel Narvaez. The bad feelings spilled into the stands, where 3,000 home fans hurled insults and missiles.
Officials ended the game as the visitors fled to the locker room, one shielding his head with a plastic chair.
China's basketball association deplored the violence as setting a poor example three years before Beijing hosts the summer Olympics. The association says it will adopt measures to prevent such violence in the future.
Some information for this story provided by Reuters.