BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Here is Xinhua News Agency's selection of the 10 most significant pieces of Chinese sports news in 2024, in chronological order:
- Chinese swimmers won seven gold medals and set one new world record at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha in February, kicking off a year of exceptional achievements. At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Pan Zhanle shattered his own world record in the men's 100m freestyle to win gold and led China to victory in the men's 4x100m medley relay, ending the United States' 10-Games winning streak in the event.
In Paris, China won its first-ever Olympic gold in artistic swimming, clinching both gold medals in team and duet events. For the first time, China swept all eight gold medals in diving.
- Held in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in February, the 14th National Winter Games was China's first major national winter sports event since the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. It introduced mass sports competitions for the first time, broadening public participation in winter sports.
- In May, China regained dominance in badminton, clinching the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup for the 11th and 16th times, respectively.
- The inaugural National Fitness Competition kicked off on May 20 in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province. Featuring over 6,000 events and activities covering nearly 100 sports, the competition engaged over two million people across seven competition zones.
- Zheng Qinwen made history on August 3, becoming the first Asian player to win the Olympic tennis women's singles gold medal in Paris. She also finished runner-up at the Australian Open and WTA Finals.
Other Chinese tennis players also achieved significant milestones: Wang Xinyu and Zhang Zhizhen earned an Olympic silver in mixed doubles, Shang Juncheng became the first player born after 2005 to break into the ATP top 50, and Zhu Zhenzhen was the runner-up in the wheelchair women's singles at the French Open.
These achievements spurred a surge in tennis' popularity in China, with record-breaking ticket sales at events such as the China Open, WTA Wuhan Open, and ATP Shanghai Masters.
- President Xi Jinping met the Chinese sports delegation at the Great Hall of the People on August 20, praising their sportsmanship and performance at the Paris Olympics. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, stated that the outstanding achievements of the Chinese sports delegation are not only a concentrated reflection of the progress and development in China's sports endeavors but also a microcosm of the accomplishments in Chinese modernization, fully demonstrating the strength of China in the new era.
The Chinese delegation collected 40 gold, 27 silver and 24 bronze medals at Paris 2024, marking China's best result at an overseas Olympics.
At the Paris Paralympics, China won a total of 220 medals - 94 golds, 76 silvers and 50 bronzes. This dominant display ensured China topped both the gold and overall medal tables for the sixth consecutive Summer Paralympics.
- Xinhua Institute, a high-end think tank of Xinhua News Agency, released a report titled "The Road to Becoming a Sports Powerhouse - The Value and Inspiration of Xi Jinping's Important Discourses on Sports" in Beijing on August 27.
This report comprehensively explains the core concepts of Xi's important discourses on sports, reviews the achievements of Chinese sports under this guidance, and clarifies its contemporary significance and global influence.
- China aims to promote its ice and snow economy as a new growth point, with the goal of reaching an economic scale of 1.2 trillion yuan (about 169 billion U.S. dollars) by 2027, and 1.5 trillion yuan by 2030, according to the guidelines issued by the General Office of the State Council on November 6.
- The first national youth games for football, basketball and volleyball was held from November 20 to 28 in central China's Hunan Province. This event aims to popularize and enhance youth development in these sports.
On December 16, the State Council emphasized the importance of revitalizing the football industry to help transform China into a strong sports nation.
- China issued guidelines to forge a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation through sports in November.
The 12th National Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities was held from November 22 to 30 in south China's Hainan Province. Nearly 7,000 athletes competed in the Games. ■
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