BEIJING, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Here are the latest Chinese sports headlines over the past week:
1. Yang Yang re-elected as WADA vice president
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) president Witold Banka (L) and vice president Yang Yang pose for photos during the WADA Foundation Board meeting in Montreal, Canada on Nov. 18, 2022. (Photo courtesy of WADA)
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) confirmed on Friday the second three-year terms from 2023 to 2025 for its president Witold Banka and vice president Yang Yang.
Yang, a former Olympic short-track speed skating champion, highlighted the importance of anti-doping education in her speech after being re-elected.
2. Chinese footballer Wu expects to step out of "comfort zone" in Australian league
A-League Women side Canberra United announces the signing of Chinese midfielder Wu Chengshu from China's Women's Super League side Jiangsu Suning FC, in Canberra, Australia on Nov. 10, 2022. (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua)
Chinese international Wu Chengshu has joined Canberra United for the new season of Australian women's football top flight, a move she sees as "stepping out of the comfort zone."
"This is a big step in my career, which I hope could help me improve a lot," she told Xinhua in an interview in the Australian capital.
Canberra United last week announced the signing of Wu on loan from Chinese Super League club Jiangsu FC for the 2022-23 season of A-League Women, which will kick off this weekend.
3. Chinese giant pandas meet public in Doha's first Panda House ahead of World Cup
Giant panda Jing Jing is seen at the Panda House at Al Khor Park in Doha, Qatar on Nov. 17, 2022. The two giant pandas, three-year-old female Si Hai and four-year-old male Jing Jing, made their first public appearance on Thursday ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)
With the 2022 Qatar World Cup just days away, Doha's first ever Panda House officially opened to the public on Thursday.
Located at Al Khor Park near the Al Bayt Stadium, the Panda House will be home to Chinese giant pandas, three-year-old female Si Hai and four-year-old male Jing Jing.
As the first giant pandas in the Middle East region, the couple was given two Arab names, Suhail for Jing Jing and Soraya for Si Hai, meaning stars in the sky.
Born in the Wolong Shenshuping panda base under the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Si Hai and Jing Jing arrived in Qatar on October 19 and went through a 21-day quarantine before meeting the public in their respective and fully air-conditioned areas.
4. China appoints Serbia's Djordjevic as men's basketball head coach
Serbia coach Aleksandar Djordjevic watches his charges play Argentina at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in Dongguan, China on Sept. 10, 2019. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)
The Chinese Basketball Association announced that Serbia's Aleksandar Djordjevic will serve as the new head coach of China's men's basketball team.
Djordjevic will lead China into the sixth window of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers and the FIBA World Cup. An assistant coach and a physical coach brought by Djordjevic will also join China's coaching staff.
55-year-old Djordjevic has won Olympic, World Cup and FIBA EuroBasket medals as both a player and head coach, and has coached many top club sides.
5. China's Liu Shiwen elected new ITTF Athletes Commission member
Liu Shiwen of China reacts during the women's singles final match against her teammate Chen Meng at 2019 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships in Budapest, Hungary on April 27, 2019. (Xinhua/Lu Yang)
China's Olympic champion Liu Shiwen is among the 10 newly-elected members of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Athletes Commission, which was announced by the world's table tennis governing body on Tuesday.
The elections were held between November 7 and 13. The 10 athletes, who were elected by their peers out of 25 candidates, will serve a four-year term.
6. Zhang Weili reclaims UFC strawweight champion
Zhang Weili of China celebrates after defeating Carla Esparza to reclaim the women's strawweight champion in New York, the United States, on Nov. 12, 2022. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua)
Zhang Weili reclaimed her UFC strawweight champion on Saturday night at the Madison Square Garden in New York City by defeating two-time title holder Carla Esparza.
Zhang stopped the two-time title holder by submission by a rear-naked choke at 1:05 of Round 2 when a takedown by Esparza led to a reversal by Zhang. The former champion took Esparza's back and sunk in the fight-ending submission.
Zhang became the first Asian to win the UFC title in 2019. Losing her belt to Rose Namajunas in 2021, Zhang struggled back this year with a knockout over Joanna Jedrzejczyk in June.■
