BEIJING, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Here are the latest Chinese sports headlines from the past week:
1. IOC president Bach hails Beijing 2022 legacy at Winter Youth Games
International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach said on January 29 that Chinese athletes' success in the Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics is a great legacy of Beijing 2022.
The IOC chief spoke highly of China's fulfillment of its promise to engage 300 million people in winter sports, and this winter, Chinese people's fiery participation in winter sports boosted the country's economy.
"There are growing contributions of sport in general, in particular of the winter sports industry to the GDP in China," said Bach.
"So I can only congratulate China on this great development and on this wonderful legacy of the truly exceptional Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022."
2. China finished Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics with 18 medals
The 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games on February 1 ended with a closing ceremony in South Korea's eastern Gangwon province.
Chinese athletes claimed six gold medals, nine silvers and three bronzes, ranking third according to the order by the total number of medals.
3. IOC to evaluate Wushu as Olympic sport after Dakar 2026
International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach stated that the international recognition and participation of Wushu will play a crucial role in determining its future as an official sport in the Olympic Games.
Wushu, also known as martial arts, has been included as a medal sport in the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games, which is often regarded as a key indicator for the introduction of new sports into the Olympics.
Bach noted that the traditional Chinese sport would have a solid foundation for evaluation after its Olympic debut in Dakar.
4. Coach Zheng Wei hopes for better to come for China women's basketball team
Despite achieving impressive results in the FIBA Women's World Cup and the Hangzhou Asian Games, Chinese women's basketball head coach Zheng Wei believes her side still has much to improve on ahead of the Olympic qualifying tournament.
"We finished runners-up at the World Cup and regained the Asian Cup after a 12-year wait, and have been on the rise over the past two years, but we still have much to improve on. Now is not our best time yet," Zheng explained.
The team departed on February 2 from their training base in Qingyuan, south China's Guangdong Province to Xi'an, where they will compete in the FIBA women's Olympic qualifiers from February 8 to 11.
China will face New Zealand, France and Puerto Rico in Xi'an, capital city of northwest China's Shaanxi Province. As France have automatically secured a place at the Olympic Games as hosts, China will vie with the other two teams for two Olympic tickets on offer.
5. China's grandmaster Wei Yi wins Tata Steel Chess Tournament
Chinese grandmaster Wei Yi claimed the Tata Steel Chess Tournament title for the first time in the Netherlands on January 28, beating Gukesh Dommaraju from India in a sensational tiebreak decider.
In the final, the 24-year-old grandmaster Wei, 16th in the FIDE world ranking, defeated Gukesh with a draw with the black pieces and a victory with the white. ■
