Athletes of Team People's Republic of China are seen on a boat along the River Seine during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in Paris, France, July 26, 2024. /CFP
With the year of 2024 coming to an end, here is the list of top 10 sporting events in China during the past 12 months.
1. At the Olympics, China achieved its best overseas performance since first fully taking part in the Games in 1984, clinching 40 gold, 27 silver, and 24 bronze medals.
2. At the Paris Paralympics, China earned 94 gold, 76 silver, and 50 bronze medals for 220 overall, broking 20 world records and topping the overall medal tables for the sixth straight edition.
China's Zheng Qinwen holds her national flag after defeating Croatia's Donna Vekic during the Women's Singles tennis final at the Roland Garros stadium at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, August 3, 2024. /CFP
3. Zheng Qinwen's clinched China's first Olympic singles gold medal in tennis, reaching title matches at both the Australian Open and WTA Finals, to finish the year with a career-high ranking of World No. 5.
4. Chinese swimmer Pan Zhanle broke the men's 100m freestyle world record twice: at the World Aquatics Championships as part of the 4x100m freestyle relay team, and at Paris 2024 to win the country's first Olympic gold medal in the men's 100m freestyle.
5. China's 14th National Winter Games took place in Inner Mongolia in February, with more than 3,000 athletes competing in 176 events. 35 delegations took part, and 30 grabbed at least one medal.
6. China's 12th National Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities took place from November 22nd to 30th in Hainan Province, with nearly 7,000 athletes representing 35 delegations competing in 18 sports and three demonstration events.
7. China's first National Youth Games for Football, Basketball, and Volleyball took place in Hunan Province, with each sport offering both boys' and girls' categories. Shandong Province topped the medal table with four golds and two silvers.
8. The BWF Thomas and Uber Cup Finals in Chengdu saw the host nation capture both the men's and women's titles after 12 years to hoist the Thomas Cup for the 11th time, and the Uber Cup for the 16th time.
Chinese women's team lift trophy at the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in Busan, South Korea, February 24, 2024. /CFP
9. At the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in Busan, South Korea in February, China lifted its 11th straight men's trophy and sixth consecutive women's crown. Fan Zhendong and Sun Yingsha were honored as the best male and female players.
10. The China Media Group's ultra-high-definition live broadcast vans provided more than 60 hours of groundbreaking public 8K UHD international signals for athletics events and the closing ceremony at Paris 2024, producing global signals for gymnastics, table tennis, badminton, and sport climbing.