BEIJING, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Here are the latest Chinese sports headlines from the past week:
1. Preparations completed for 9th Asian Winter Games
All preparatory works, including accommodation, transportation and catering, for the Harbin 2025 Asian Winter Games have been completed, the spokesperson for the event announced on January 22.
The flame for the Games was lit on January 20 at the Sun Island Scenic Area, which also marked the start of an online torch relay.
During the Games, 40 trains will travel every day between Harbin and Yabuli, where ice and snow events respectively will be held, including six high-speed trains that were put into service on January 21. Additionally, to ensure smooth operations during the Games, 17 test events were organized.
The 2025 competition will be the second time Harbin has hosted the Asian Winter Games, having staged the event's third edition in 1996.
2. China to send 170 athletes to Harbin 2025 Asian Winter Games
China unveiled on January 24 a 257-member delegation, including 170 athletes, for the 2025 Asian Winter Games.
Comprising 85 men and 85 women, the squad is headlined by six Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic champions: Gu Ailing, Xu Mengtao, Qi Guangpu, Gao Tingyu, Fan Kexin and Liu Shaoang.
Their average age is 23, with the group ranging from a 40-year-old veteran to a 16-year-old newcomer. They will compete in 64 events across six sports.
3. China finishes Turin 2025 Winter Universiade with five medals
China concluded the Turin 2025 Winter Universiade with one gold, three silvers, and one bronze medal, all from short track speed skating competitions.
The only gold came from men's 5,000 relay on Jan. 23 as Liu Guanyi, Song Guixu, Li Kun, and Zhang Tianyi crossed the line in six minutes and 57.044 seconds ahead of Japan and Kazakhstan.
Chinese skaters also bagged silvers in women's 3,000m relay, women's 500m and mixed team relay events and bronze in women's 1,000m.
4. Jiang/Wei win mixed doubles title at badminton's India Open
Young Chinese pair Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin claimed a straight-game victory to win the mixed doubles gold at the 2025 India Open in New Delhi on January 19.
Second-seeded Jiang and Wei took 43 minutes to defeat French shuttlers Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue 21-18, 21-17.
"This championship is a great inspiration for us. We faced a lot of difficulties this week, but we overcame them all," said Wei after the match.
5. China establishes independent federation to run professional football leagues
The Chinese Professional Football League (CFL) was officially established in Beijing on January 23 as an independent federation to oversee all levels of China's professional football leagues.
At the inaugural CFL general assembly in Beijing, representatives from 52 Chinese professional football clubs elected a 17-member council, with former head of Tianjin's Sports Administration Li Kemin being named director.
The CFL will act as a member association of the Chinese Football Association, independently overseeing the organization of Chinese Super League, China League One and China League Two, while the CFA remains responsible for supervising major regulations.
