Xinhua News Agency selected the top 10 sports news of China in 2009:
1. Northeast Chinese city Harbin hosted the 24th World Winter University Games from Feb. 18 to 28, in which China topped the medal tally with a 18-18-12 record.
The flag of 24th World Winter Universiade is escorted into Harbin International Conference, Exhibition and Sports Centre Gym at the opening ceremony of the 24th World Winter Universiade in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb.18, 2009
Chinese table tennis players pose during the awarding ceremony of the men's singles and women's singles at the world table tennis championships in Yokohama, Japan, May 2009.(Xinhua Photo File)
2. China clean-swept five gold medals at the world table tennis championships, which took place in Yokohama, Japan, from April 28 to May 5.
Members China's national badminton team celebrate at the awarding ceremony of the 2009 Sudirman Cup World Team Badminton Championships in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, on May 17, 2009.(Xinhua File Photo)
3. China won its seventh Sudirman Cup world mixed team badminton championships on May.
Zhang Lin shows the gold medal after the men's 800m freestyle swimming final at the World Championships in Rome, Italy, July 29, 2009.(Xinhua File Photo)
4. Zhang Lin became China's first ever men's swimming world champion as he bettered Australian Grant Hackett's world record by over six seconds to win the 800m freestyle at the Rome Worlds on July 30.
People practise Taiji in front of the National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest in Beijing, capital of China, August 8, 2009.(Xinhua File Photo)
5. Exactly one year after the opening of the Beijing Olympic Games, China inaugurated "National Fitness Day" on Aug. 8.
Liu Xiang of China celebrates the victory with the national flag after the final of men's 110m hurdles at the 18th Asian Athletics Championships in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, Nov. 12, 2009. Liu won the gold with 13.50 seconds. (Xinhua File Photo)
6. Star hurdler Liu Xiang came back after a sudden pullout from the 2008 Olympics, finishing second at the Golden Grand Prix in Shanghai on Sept. 20. The 2004 Olympic gold medalist then triumphed in the Chinese National Games in October, the Asian athletics championships in November and the East Asian Games in December.