Students in a high-altitude area of rural southwest China have seen their basketball dreams come true with the completion of an oxygen-supplied inflatable dome stadium that provides enough air for strenuous sporting.

The dome was constructed at a high-altitude primary school in Nyainrong County, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, situated deep behind the grasslands.

As part of a public service initiative called Project Hope that aims to ensure greater access to education for children in the country's poverty-stricken areas, the school was built at an altitude of approximately 4,700 meters so that children living in the mountains could attend.
With a faculty of 1,200 members, the school has a significant number of students who are enthralled with the national basketball craze. However, due to the oxygen-deficient environment in the area, playing basketball was a challenging task, often leaving students exhausted after just half an hour.

Fortunately, the situation has taken a positive turn since the construction of an oxygen-supplied inflatable dome stadium in December last year.

Built with aid funds provided to Xizang, the stadium not only provides a stable indoor temperature of around 10 degrees Celsius, but also maintains a constant supply of oxygen, with an oxygen concentration similar to that of areas at sea level.
The improvement in playing conditions has encouraged the students to practice harder, including Cugye, one of the 15-member basketball team of the school.

"The basketball team was formed when I was in fourth grade, and now I am about to graduate. I hope we have the chance to compete in the city," said Cugye.

"I hope that one day we can get out the grasslands and play basketball in bigger arenas," the young student added.