Xinhua News Agency selected the top 10 world sports news in 2009. 1. USA Swimming suspended Michael Phelps, the winner of eight Olympic gold medals in 2008, for three months for smoking marijuana.
Michael Phelps of the U.S. swimming team smiles during a news conference at the Manchester Aquatics Centre in northern England December 17, 2009. The U.S. will take on Europe in a Duel in the Pool event in Manchester on Friday and Saturday. (Xinhua/Reuters File Photo)
2. Barcelona beat Manchester United 2-0 to win its third Champions' League. The Spanish giant has claimed six trophies in 2009.
3. Swiss tennis star Roger Federer regained the world No. 1 ranking after completing a career Grand Slam at Roland Garros. He went on to surpass Pete Sampras by winning his 15th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon.
Roger Federer of Switzerland poses with the No.1 trophy at the ATP World Tour Finals tennis tournament in London, Nov. 25, 2009. He clinched the 2009 ATP World Tour year-end No.1 for the fifth time after he defeated Andy Murray of Britain at the ATP World Tour Finals Tuesday night. (Xinhua File Photo)
4. Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo signed a six-year deal with Real Madrid with a record-setting tag of 130 million U.S. dollars.
5. Swimming ruling body FINA decided to ban the high-tech swimsuits that had helped bring down a dozen world records at the 2009 world championships from next year.
6. Jamaican sprinter Usian Bolt shattered his own 100m and 200m world records at the world athletics championships in Berlin.
FIFA Men's World Player of the Year 2009 nominee Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal attends a press conference before the FIFA World Player Gala in Zurich December 21, 2009. (Xinhua/Reuters File Photo)
7. Rio de Janeiro beat Madrid, Tokyo and Chicago to win the bidfor the 2016 Olympic Games.
8. Jacques Rogge was re-elected as the IOC president at the 121st IOC Session, while golf and Rugby sevens made it to the Olympic program.
World and Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt feeds a cheetah cub with a bottle at the headquarters of the Kenyan Wildlife Service in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, on Nov. 2, 2009. The triple Olympic and world sprint champion in both the 100 and 200 metres events arrived in the land of long-distance running on Oct. 30, ahead of the launch of an environmental charity campaign to preserve local ecosystems. (Xinhua File Photo)
9. European soccer rocked with match-fixing scandals. More than200 matches, including UEFA Champions League matches, were suspected to be rigged.
10. Tiger Woods took an "indefinite" leave from golf after allegations of numerous extramarital affairs surfaced.
U.S. golfer Tiger Woods gets a hug from his wife Elin Nordegren on the 18th green at the Presidents Cup in Gainesville, Virginia, in this September 24, 2005 file photo. (Xinhua/Reuters File Photo)