Day: December 31, 2020

(Xinhua)16:47, December 29, 2020

BEIJING, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) — As the sporting year draws to a close, here is Xinhua News Agencys selection of the top 10 Chinese sports personalities of 2020:

1. Zhang Weili (female, mixed martial arts)

30-year-old Zhang, Chinas first-ever UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) world champion, retained her strawweight title with a split decision victory over Joanna Jedrzejczyk in the United States on March 7.

2. Gu Ailing (female, freestyle skiing)

In January, 17-year-old Gu took two golds in the womens Freeski halfpipe and big air events at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland. The following month, Gu topped the podium twice in the womens halfpipe and slopestyle event in FIS Freeski World Cup in Calgary, becoming the first freestyle skier to win back-to-back titles in one World Cup competition.

3. Chinas womens basketball team

On February 8, China edged Spain 64-62 in the FIBA womens Olympic qualifying tournament in Belgrade, Serbia, securing a berth at the Tokyo Olympic Games with three consecutive wins.

4. Ju Wenjun (female, chess)

29-year-old Chinese chess grandmaster Ju defended her title at the 2020 womens World Championship in Vladivostok, Russia, defeating 21-year-old challenger Aleksandra Goryachkina 8.5-7.5 on January 24.

5. Sui Wenjing/Han Cong (female/male, figure skating)

Chinas Olympic silver medalists Sui and Han won their sixth ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships pairs gold medal in Seoul, South Korea, on February 8.

6. Ke Jie (male, Go chess)

In November, 23-year-old Ke became the youngest Chinese Go player to win eight world championship titles. It was also his fourth title at the Samsung World Go Masters. Days later, he made the final of the LG Cup for the first time.

7. Chinese Mountaineering Team

The Chinese Mountaineering team reached the summit of Mt. Qomolangma in May, with their 150-minute stay the longest in Chinese history.

8. Liu Guoliang (male, table tennis)

Chinas 44-year-old table tennis chief Liu was named chair of the newly-formed World Table Tennis Council on June 29, with ambitions of making table tennis one of the worlds leading sports. In November, the ITTF womens World Cup opened in Weihai City on Chinas east coast, signaling the return of international table tennis tournaments amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

9. Xu Jiayu/Yan Zibei/Zhang Yufei/Yang Junxuan (swimming)

The Chinese quartet broke the world record in the mixed 4x100m medley relay with a time of three minutes 38.41 seconds at the Chinese national swimming championships on October 1, beating the previous record by 0.15 seconds.

10. Chen Meng (female, table tennis)

World No. 1 Chen, 26, beat her compatriot Sun Yingsha 4-1 to win her first ITTF womens World Cup in November. Two weeks later, she became the first player ever to win four ITTF Finals titles in a row.

(Xinhua)13:13, December 28, 2020

BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) — China has formally criminalized doping after its top legislature voted to adopt Amendment XI to its criminal law on Saturday.

The historic move in Chinas anti-doping fight took place when the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress voted to add the amendment to Article 355.

It stipulates that anyone who lures, instigates, or cheats athletes into using banned substances in either domestic or international competitions faces up to three years imprisonment and a fine. Heavier punishments will be given to those organizing or forcing athletes into using banned substances, while knowingly offering banned substances to athletes is also a criminal offense.

The law isnt aimed at athletes, because cheating athletes will be punished by bans and fines in accordance with the anti-doping rules, explained Chen Zhiyu, executive director of China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA).

This criminal law is more focusing on punishing those behind the scenes as it has been widely recognized athletes entourage usually play an important role in doping schemes and should be given more severe punishments, he said.

If not for the criminal punishments, the entourage could still secretly work with athletes even after they are banned and fined, Chen added.

As far as expert Yu Chong is concerned, the new law is a response to both the International Olympic Committee (IOC)s call and several executive anti-doping rules, including Chinas Anti-Doping Regulation, launched in 2004.

At its 5th summit in October 2016, the IOC urged to make the entourage of athletes, including coaches, doctors, physiotherapists, and other officials, to be held criminally responsible for facilitating doping.

It shows Chinas efforts to meet the IOCs requirement, said China University of Political Science and Law deputy professor Yu Chong on Monday.

At the same time, it links criminal law and executive regulations in the fight against doping, he said.

The executive anti-doping rules usually ban, fine or fire entourage involved in doping and also stipulate they could be subject to criminal punishment if what they do is a crime.

With the new law, such clause is no longer a scarecrow, Yu said.

The amendment represents Chinas latest anti-doping measure. In November 2019, the countrys Supreme Peoples Court announced judicial interpretations on the application of criminal law in handling cases related to doping, which went into effect on January 1, 2020. The State Council launched the Anti-Doping Regulation in 2004.

The amendment will take effect on March 1, 2021.

(Peoples Daily Online)13:59, December 28, 2020

E-sports has been named as a full medal event for the 2022 Asian Games, after the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) General Assembly approved its place on the program on Dec. 16, 2020. This move will help promote the overall growth of the e-sports industry and drive the integration of the industry chain, according to industry experts.

A young player competes in an e-sports event in Taicang, Jiangsu province.(China Daily/Ji Haixin)

The actual sales revenue of Chinas e-sports game market will reach 136.6 billion yuan (about $20.9 billion) in 2020, an increase of 41.8 billion yuan compared with that in 2019, with a year-on-year increase of 44.2 percent, according to a report jointly released by the game publishing working committee of the China Audio-video and Digital Publishing Association and the China game industry development research institute.

The report further pointed out that in 2020, the number of users of Chinas e-sports games will reach 488 million, a year-on-year increase of 9.7 percent.

Traditional sports industry has been battered by the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak this year, whereas, e-sports, by taking its unique advantage, emerges as one of the pillar industries for the economic development of many cities.

China boasts more than 10, 000 e-sports enterprises at present, with more than 200 cities currently developing in the industry. Among them, Shanghai is working hard to become the world capital of e-sports,鈥?followed by other Chinese cities including Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Haikou.

These cities seek to get in-depth deals with more e-sports manufacturers and clubs, focusing on the development of fields such as industrial incubation and personnel training.

As e-sports has become an Asian Games medal sport, it is making a tremendous positive impact on the whole e-sports industry,鈥?said Du Mingjiang, vice president of Bixin platform, one of Chinas earliest providers of e-sports training partners.

From experts perspectives, the naming of e-sports as a full-medal event for the 2022 Asian Games will propel the growth of the market size, as the industry has ushered in a phase of rapid development after e-sports became a demonstration sport in the 2018 games.

(Xinhua)16:27, December 28, 2020

BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) — Here is Xinhua News Agencys selection of the 10 most significant pieces of Chinese sports news in 2020, in chronological order:

– Eleven football clubs were disqualified from Chinas professional leagues on May 23 due to wage arrears, while five other clubs disbanded over financial problems.

– The Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league resumed on June 20 after a nearly five-month hiatus, followed by the start of the 2020 Chinese Super League (CSL) season which witnessed Jiangsu Suning emerging as the new champion. The ITTF Womens and Mens World Cup events and the Finals were staged in China in November, marking the first competitions to be staged in the country featuring overseas players.

– Chinas table tennis chief Liu Guoliang was named chair of the newly-formed World Table Tennis Council on June 29, aiming to make table tennis one of the leading sports in the world. After a stellar playing career, in which he won Olympic and World Championship gold medals, Liu has since overseen serial success as head coach of the Chinese national team and as Chinese Table Tennis Association president.

– Chinese badminton legend Lin Dan announced his retirement on social media on July 4, ending an illustrious career at the age of 37. One of the most outstanding players in badminton, Lin has won 20 major titles including two Olympic golds, and five world championship titles. He also helped China win six Thomas Cup and five Sudirman Cup titles.

– Despite the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinas preparations for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games progressed steadily. Construction of all the competition venues and related infrastructure will be completed by the end of this year. The past few months witnessed a number of milestones, such as the launch of a global competition for the medal, torch, and apparel designs. More than 960,000 people worldwide have registered to volunteer during the Games. Beijing 2022 has signed up 38 sponsors and suppliers in total to date.

– Renovation of the Workers Stadium in Beijing started in early August. The stadium, which was first built in 1959, will be transformed into a professional football arena and put into use in December 2022. It was a landmark building in the Chinese capital and hosted the first National Games.

– Two guidelines were issued by the Chinese government in September and October to strengthen campus sports and ensure the health and fitness of students. Chinas southwestern Yunnan province took an initiative, as it announced in October, that it would increase the ratio of PE performance in the high-school entrance exam.

– On October 20, a conference was held in Beijing on the adjustment and reform of Chinas military sports, marking significant changes in the function, scale, and structure of Chinas military sports teams. Those teams will no longer participate in comprehensive sports meetings or individual sports competitions on a national level.

– The 2023 AFC Asian Cup Local Organizing Committee was officially established in Beijing on October 22. China was awarded the hosting right of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup on June 4, 2019. The tournament will take place from June to July in 10 cities – Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing, Chengdu, Xian, Dalian, Qingdao, Xiamen, and Suzhou.

– China aims to become a sports powerhouse by 2035 and gave strategic priority to ensuring peoples health and all-around development, according to a blueprint passed at the fifth plenary session of the 19th Communist Party of China Central Committee in October.

(Xinhua)16:32, December 28, 2020

BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) — The past year has been one like none other for the sporting world. Lets take a look back at the events that have defined this turbulent period.

Here is Xinhua News Agencys selection of the 10 most significant pieces of international sports news in 2020, in chronological order:

– The 3rd Winter Youth Olympic Games were staged in the Swiss city of Lausanne, the Olympic Capital, between January 9-22. China dispatched 53 athletes to participate in 57 events, claiming three golds, four silvers, and five bronzes at what was considered the most significant international winter sports event before Beijing 2022.

– On January 26, retired NBA mega Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash above Calabasas, southern California. The only team he had played for throughout his NBA career, the Los Angeles Lakers, beat the Miami Heat in the Finals to win a record-equaling 17th NBA champions on October 11. On November 25, Argentine football legend Diego Maradona died of a heart attack at his home, aged 60. Maradona participated in four World Cups with the Argentine national team, among which the 1986 World Cup was remembered as his masterpiece. He played every minute of every game, scoring five goals and making five assists to lead Argentina to the champion.

– Despite the disruption of its 2020 calendar, several world records fell in track and field during the year. On February 8, Armand Duplantis cleared 6.17 meters in Torun, Poland, to set the indoor world record in mens pole vault, and went on to clear the bar of 6.18m at the Glasgow Grand Prix of World Athletics Indoor Tour one week later. The Swede also produced the highest ever mark in an outdoor event as he cleared 6.15m at the Diamond League meeting in Rome on September 17.

On February 21, Venezuelan triple jumper Yulimar Rojas set a new world indoor record by jumping 15.43 meters at the World Athletics Indoor Tour meeting in Madrid.

On August 14, Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda clocked 12 minutes 35.36 seconds in the mens 5,000m at the Diamond League in Monaco, improving Ethiopian legend Kenenisa Bekeles 16-year-old world record by 1.99 seconds. Cheptegei also broke the 10,000m world record in an event dubbed as World Record Day in Valencia, Spain, on October 7. The event also witnessed a new world record set by Ethiopias Letesenbet Gidey in womens 5,000m.

– Five-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova of Russia announced her retirement from professional tennis at 32 on February 26, followed by NBA star Vince Carter (June 25), Chinese badminton icon Lin Dan (July 4), and Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas (August 4).

– On March 24, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee jointly announced that, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tokyo Olympic Games were rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021. It is the first time that the modern Olympic Games being postponed since the birth in 1896, although they have been canceled in 1916, 1940 and 1944 due to World War I and World War II. A string of other international sports events including footballs European Championships were either postponed or canceled due to the pandemic.

– On June 25, Liverpool secured the Premier League title with seven games remaining, ending a 30-year league title drought. On August 23, Bayern Munich was crowned the 2019/2020 UEFA Champions League winners after defeating Paris Saint-Germain in the final, finishing the European elite club competition with a perfect record in 11 matches. Bayern Munich also won the Bundesliga and German Cup titles, achieving a treble for the second time in club history.

– Despite the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinas preparations for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games progressed steadily. Construction of all the competition venues and related infrastructures will be completed by the end of this year. The past few months witnessed a number of milestones, such as the launch of a global competition for the medal, torch, and apparel designs. More than 960,000 people worldwide have registered to volunteer during the Games. Beijing 2022 has signed up 38 sponsors and suppliers in total to date.

– On October 11, Rafael Nadal lifted his 13th title at Roland Garros, equaling Roger Federers mens all-time record of 20 Grand Slam singles titles. On November 4, the Spaniard became the fourth player in history to reach 1,000 Tour-level wins at the ATP Paris Masters, joining Jimmy Connors, Federer, and Ivan Lendl.

– On December 7, breaking, skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing were confirmed as additional sports to be added to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Weightlifting had four events removed from the Paris 2024 program, with its quota reduced to 120 athletes from 196 at Tokyo 2020.

– On December 24, the Swiss Federal Tribunal set aside a previous ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to ban Chinese swimmer Sun Yang for eight years and ordered the case back to the CAS to render a new award. In February, CAS found the three-time Olympic champion guilty of refusing to cooperate with sample collectors during a visit to his home in September 2018. The World Anti-Doping Agency brought the case to the CAS after the world swimming governing body FINA had issued Sun Yang a warning.

(Xinhua)11:27, December 23, 2020

MADRID, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) — Atletico Madrid took a big stride towards this seasons La Liga title with a 2-0 win away to Real Sociedad on Tuesday, while Barcelonas Lionel Messi set a new record of 644 goals scored for a single club.

Real Sociedad started the game three points behind Atletico after last weekends results, but after an even first half, Mario Hermoso opened the scoring three minutes after the break with a powerful header after slack defending from a free kick.

Marcos Llorente doubled Atleticos lead with a thumping left-footed shot 15 minutes from time.

Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman fielded three central defenders and two wing-backs for his sides visit to Real Valladolid and was rewarded with a comfortable 3-0 win.

Clement Lenglet opened the scoring with a thumping header from a corner in the 21st minute, before Martin Braithwaite finished off a flowing team move 10 minutes before half-time.

Lionel Messi scored Barcas third 25 minutes from time, setting a new record for goals scored for a single club (644) to beat the long-standing landmark set by Pele.

Barca thus move up to fifth behind Villarreal, who were held to their fifth draw in six games by a battling Athletic Bilbao side.

Inaki Williiams, whose 18 year-old brother Nico was in the Athletic squad for the first time, opened the scoring in the 19th minute as the Basque outfit controlled the first half.

Villarreal upped their game after the break and scored a deserved equalizer 16 minutes from time thanks to substitute Yeremi Pinos powerful volley at the far post.

After a creditable draw away to Barcelona on Saturday, Valencia returned to their struggles with a 1-0 defeat at home to Sevilla, who claimed three points that keep them in the battle for the top-four thanks to a goal from Suso 10 minutes from time.

The Spain international latched onto a through-ball, cut inside a defender and hit a powerful shot that Jaume Domenech got a hand to, but was unable to keep out of the net.

Huesca continue with just one win all season after they drew 1-1 at home to Levante.

Javi Ontiveros put Levante ahead from the penalty spot after VAR spotted a handball from Ruben Vezo, but in a misty ground, Gonzalo Melero equalized seven minutes into the second half following a corner.

Osasuna twice took the lead away to Elche thanks to Ruben Garcia and Darko Brasanac, but twice saw how the home side pegged them back thanks to Fidel and Guido Carrillo, with Osasuna midfielder Inigo Perez sent off in injury time.

(Xinhua)13:22, December 24, 2020

BEIJING, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) — The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said it would present its case robustly again after the Swiss Federal Tribunal (SFT) upheld Sun Yangs appeal and set aside the previous ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to ban the Chinese swimmer for eight years.

According to the WADAs statement, when the case returns to the CAS panel, it will be chaired by a different chairperson.

The CAS found the three-time Olympic champion guilty in February of refusing to cooperate with sample collectors during a visit to his Hangzhou home in September 2018 and handed him an eight-year ban.

Sun then turned to the SFT, his last court of appeal. Sources told Xinhua early Thursday Beijing time that the SFT has overturned the CAS ruling, which could give Sun a chance to compete at the postponed Tokyo Olympic Games next year.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has been informed of the decision of the Swiss Federal Tribunal to uphold the revision application filed by Chinese swimmer Sun Yang and to set aside the 20 February 2020 award of a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) Panel, said WADA in a statement.

The case is in relation to WADAs successful appeal against the original Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA) disciplinary panel decision following an incident that led to a doping control involving Sun Yang not being completed as planned, it said.

Suns case was first heard by swimmings world governing body FINA, who decided on January 3, 2019, that the swimmer was not guilty of anti-doping rule violations. WADA disagreed and appealed the decision to the CAS.

As requested by Sun, the CAS held only its second public hearing in November 2019, which was marred by poor translation. The CAS later was forced to ask all parties to submit a written transcript of proceedings, including a full translation of Suns testimony.

WADA said it had clearly prevailed on the substance of the case in the CAS award.

…it was able to show that there were a number of aspects of the original FINA decision that were incorrect under the World Anti-Doping Code and the related International Standard for Testing and Investigations.

WADA will take steps to present its case robustly again when the matter returns to the CAS Panel, which will be chaired by a different president, the statement read.

WADA said it had yet to receive the Tribunals full reasoned decision and therefore cannot comment further.

In WADAs statement, it mentioned the Swiss Federal Tribunal decided to uphold a challenge against the Chair of the CAS Panel, which seems to reveal at least part of the reasons for the SFT to set aside the CAS ruling.

Then CAS panel chair Franco Frattini informed Sun after the 11-hour hearing in February to be sure of two things that he has the full right to be heard and is completely respected.

In addition, Frattini had been revealed making racist comments about China on social media. This yellow face chinese monster smiling while torturing a small dog, deserves the worst of the hell!!! the CAS Chair tweeted in 2019 in response to an unverified video of an unknown market seller.

The year before the Italian tweeted, Hell forever for those b*****d sadic (sic) chinese. Observers have maintained whether Frattini was the right person to chair the Sun Yang case after a string of abusive tweets over a number of years aimed at China.

(Xinhua)10:01, December 25, 2020

GENEVA, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) — The Swiss Federal Supreme Court confirmed on Thursday that it had overturned an earlier decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to ban Chinese swimmer Sun Yang for eight years due to alleged doping violations.

In a press release, the Swiss Federal Supreme Court said it had approved Sun Yangs appeal for revision of CASs arbitral award on February 28 on the grounds of bias of one of the arbitrators.

The award of the CAS is set aside. The CAS will have to render a new award in the case of Sun Yang in a different composition of the panel, said the Swiss Federal Supreme Court.

But the Supreme Court did not give details on the reasoning of its judgment.

In February, the CAS found the three-time Olympic champion guilty of refusing to cooperate with sample collectors during a visit to his Hangzhou home in September 2018 and handed him an eight-year ban.

Sun, who argued that the Doping Control Officer and her assistants lacked sufficient authorization and credentials, then turned to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court, his last court of appeal.