BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Here is Xinhua News Agency's selection of the 10 most significant pieces of international sports news in 2025, in chronological order:

- From February 7 to 14, the 9th Asian Winter Games were held in Harbin, attracting more than 1,200 athletes from 34 countries and regions, the largest participation in the event's history. China topped the medal table with 32 gold, 27 silver and 26 bronze medals, while sports delegations including Chinese Taipei and Thailand achieved medal breakthroughs.

Chengdu hosted the 12th World Games from August 7 to 17, welcoming nearly 4,000 athletes from 116 countries and regions. The event highlighted the appeal of non-Olympic sports, with disciplines such as lacrosse, korfball and sambo showcasing the diversity and global reach of the Games.

This file photo taken on Feb. 7, 2025 shows the cauldron is lit during the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)

This file photo taken on Aug. 7, 2025 shows fireworks exploding during the opening ceremony of the World Games 2025 in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Xinhua/Chen Yichen)

This file photo taken on Aug. 17, 2025 shows members of the delegation of Germany expressing gratitude to the host city Chengdu during the closing ceremony of The World Games 2025 in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Xinhua/Feng Kaihua)

This file photo taken on Feb. 14, 2025 shows artists performing during the closing ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Xinhua/Chen Yichen)

- Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner became the center of a global doping debate after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced a three-month ban on February 15. Sinner had tested positive twice in March 2024 for prohibited substance clostebol.

Although the International Tennis Integrity Agency initially ruled that he bore "no fault or negligence," WADA appealed before ultimately reaching a settlement with the player.

The sanction drew criticism from several fellow players, who argued it was too lenient, while WADA emphasized transparency and pointed to a rise in contamination-related cases across sports.

This file photo taken on May 10, 2025 shows Jannik Sinner reacting before the men's singles round of 64 match between Jannik Sinner of Italy and Mariano Navone of Argentina at the ATP Italian Open in Rome, Italy. (Xinhua/Li Jing)

- On March 20, Zimbabwe's former Olympic swimming champion Kirsty Coventry was elected the International Olympic Committee (IOC) president during the 144th IOC Session in Greece, becoming the organization's first female president and the first from outside Europe and North America.

After taking office in June, Coventry initiated a "Pause and Reflect" process and set up four working groups focusing on areas including the Youth Olympic Games and the Olympic program.

This file photo taken on March 20, 2025 shows Thomas Bach (R) inviting Kirsty Coventry to deliver a speech after she being elected as the 10th president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) during the 144th IOC session in Costa Navarino, Greece. (Xinhua/Cao Can)

This file photo taken on June 23, 2025 shows IOC President Kirsty Coventry (L) receiving the key from outgoing IOC President Thomas Bach during a president handover ceremony at Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland. (Xinhua/Lian Yi)

This file photo taken on June 23, 2025 shows IOC President Kirsty Coventry (L) receiving the key from outgoing IOC President Thomas Bach during a president handover ceremony at Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland. (Xinhua/Lian Yi)

- In 2025, humanoid robot sports competitions in China have gained wide attention both at home and abroad. In April, humanoid robots and human runners took to the same half-marathon course in Beijing for the first time. Wuxi hosted the first multi-sport games for embodied intelligent robots, with over 150 robot athletes competing in a variety of events. In August, Beijing held the inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games, featuring 280 teams from 16 countries and regions. 

This file photo taken on Aug. 17, 2025 shows humanoid robots running during a sprint match at the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

This file photo taken on Aug. 11, 2025 shows humanoid robots combating during a kickboxing match at the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

- The inaugural expanded FIFA Club World Cup was held in the United States from June 14 to July 13, featuring 32 teams. Chelsea defeated Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 to secure its second title in the tournament.

The draw for the first 48-team FIFA World Cup was made on December 5. Cape Verde, Curacao, Uzbekistan and Jordan are set to debut in the finals.

This file photo taken on July 13, 2025 shows players of Chelsea FC celebrating with trophy during the awarding ceremony for the final match between Chelsea FC (England) and Paris Saint-Germain (France) at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 at the MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, the United States. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

This file photo taken on Dec. 5, 2025 shows the general view of the stage during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

- Fairness in women's competitions became a focal issue worldwide as sports bodies reviewed eligibility standards. Under Coventry's leadership, the IOC oversaw extensive discussions on transgender participation and women's events, establishing expert and international federation working groups to reassess the qualification criteria.

In 2025, international federations including World Boxing and World Athletics introduced genetic testing to confirm athletes' biological sex, aiming to strengthen fairness and transparency in women's competitions.

This file photo taken on Aug. 9, 2024 shows gold medalist Imane Khelif of Algeria attending the victory ceremony for the women's boxing 66kg at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France. (Xinhua/Jiang Wenyao)

This file photo taken on Aug. 9, 2024 shows Imane Khelif of Algeria celebrating after defeating Yang Liu of China in the women's boxing 66kg final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France. (Xinhua/Jiang Wenyao)

- The World Aquatics Championships, held in Singapore from July 11 to August 3, produced three world records and 15 championship records in swimming events. Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh shone with four gold medals and one bronze.

China's breaststroke specialist Qin Haiyang claimed two golds, one silver and one bronze, finishing as the only Asian swimmer in the gold medal standings. Then-12-year-old Yu Zidi earned bronze with China's women's 4x200m freestyle relay team, becoming the youngest swimming medalist at the worlds.

This file photo taken on July 31, 2025 shows Summer McIntosh (top) of Canada competing during the women's 200m butterfly final of swimming at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. (Xinhua/Xia Yifang)

This file photo taken on Aug. 3, 2025 shows Yu Zidi of China competing during the women's 400m individual medley final of swimming at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)

This file photo taken on Aug. 1, 2025 shows Qin Haiyang of China competing during the men's 200m breaststroke final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

- Men's pole vault entered uncharted territory at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo from September 13 to 21, as Sweden's Armand Duplantis cleared 6.30 meters to break the world record for the 14th time. The event saw nine championship records fall, with American Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone breaking a 42-year-old championship record in women's 400m. The 2027 athletics worlds will be held at the National Stadium "Bird's Nest" in Beijing.

This file photo taken on Sept. 21, 2025 shows athletes of China waving a World Athletics flag during the Handover Ceremony of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

This file photo taken on Sept. 15, 2025 shows Armand Duplantis of Sweden posing with the screen showing his new world record after the men's pole vault final at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan. (Xinhua/Song Yanhua)

- On October 30, the IOC announced it had terminated its cooperation with Saudi Arabia on the Olympic Esports Games. The decision followed an earlier move in February to postpone the inaugural edition, originally scheduled for Riyadh this year, until 2027. The IOC cited the need for greater clarity regarding the event's positioning, implementation and impact on national or regional Olympic Committees.

This file photo taken on July 20, 2025 shows the grand final of the League of Legends competition between Chinese team AG.AL and South Korea's team Gen.G Esports at the 2025 Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Xinhua/Luo Chen)

- McLaren's Lando Norris secured his first Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship with a third-place finish at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 7, ending Max Verstappen's four-year reign. Red Bull's Verstappen still made history by setting the fastest lap in Formula 1 history in 1:18.792 during qualifying at the Italian Grand Prix.

Away from the circuit, the sport also made waves on the big screen. The film "F1 The Movie" grossed more than 600 million U.S. dollars worldwide, setting a new global box office record for sports movies. ■

This file photo taken on Dec. 7, 2025 shows an Etihad aircraft accompanied by Emirates jets performing a flyover before the start of the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Li Chao/Xinhua)

This file photo taken on Dec. 7, 2025 shows McLaren's Lando Norris celebrating with crew after the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. (Xinhua)