BEIJING, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Here are the latest Chinese sports headlines from the past week:

1. Zhao Yong named head coach of China women's volleyball team

Former China men's volleyball player Zhao Yong was appointed head coach of China's national women's team, with the primary goal of securing a medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

The volleyball management center of China's State General Administration of Sport announced the appointment on April 10.

Zhao previously spent several years coaching Liaoning women's volleyball team. In 2023, he led the Chinese university women's volleyball team - composed primarily of second-tier national players - to victory at the Chengdu Universiade. In 2024, he guided China to gold at the U17 Women's Volleyball World Championship.

2. China tops medal table at ISSF World Cup

China claimed gold and silver medals in the 10m air pistol mixed team event on April 10, finishing the ISSF World Cup in Buenos Aires atop the medal standings with five gold, three silver and three bronze medals.

Two Chinese pairs - Ma Qianke/Zhang Yifan and Yao Qianxun/Hu Kai - dominated the qualification rounds, securing the top two positions to guarantee an all-Chinese final.

China collected 11 medals overall to top the medal table. India took the second place with eight medals (four gold, two silver, two bronze), while the United States finished third with six medals (two gold, three silver, one bronze).

3. Chinese prodigy Pan denied gold amid controversy at cadet fencing worlds

China's teenage fencer Pan Qimiao settled for silver in the cadet women's individual sabre event at the 2025 Junior and Cadet Fencing World Championships on April 8, following a contentious final decision that overshadowed her valiant comeback.

The 15-year-old prodigy, who claimed junior bronze just a day earlier, stormed to a 3-0 lead against Romania's Amalia Covaliu in the gold-medal bout. However, Covaliu rallied to take five consecutive points, leaving Pan trailing 8-5 at halftime. After the time-out, Pan clawed back to level at 14-14, saving three match points in a heart-stopping finale.

The decisive touch saw both fencers' lights activate simultaneously. After reviewing footage, the referee controversially awarded the point to Covaliu, ruling that Pan's parry attempt missed the blade during a "right of way" exchange. Despite video evidence showing Covaliu stepping out of bounds during the final action - a fact confirmed by side judge - the call stood unchallenged.

The FIE announced on April 11 that the referee involved in the incident, Greece's Andreas Douvis, has been suspended from officiating until the end of the current season, effective immediately.

4. China's Wang, Xiang achieve reverse sweep at WTT Champions Incheon

Chinese paddlers Wang Yidi and Xiang Peng claimed the women's and men's singles titles respectively at the 2025 World Table Tennis (WTT) Champions Incheon in South Korea on April 6.

Wang secured the title over her compatriot Chen Xingtong in the women's singles final through a tough seven-game match: 11-9, 8-11, 9-11, 12-14, 11-9, 11-6, 12-10. After trailing three games behind, Wang staged a stunning comeback by rallying six consecutive points in the decisive game's final minutes.

Unseeded Xiang advanced to the men's singles final with a dark-horse triumph over the second seed Hugo Calderano in the quarterfinal and the fifth seed Patrick Franziska in the semifinal. He then blitzed to victory in only 25 minutes over South Korean Lee Sang-su in the final: 11-8, 11-0, 11-3, 11-4.

5. World No. 1 Shi dumped out of Asian badminton championship

World No. 1 Shi Yuqi was eliminated from the 2025 Badminton Asian Championships on April 11 after a hard-fought quarterfinal defeat to Singapore's Loh Kean Yew.

The Chinese star, playing on home soil, narrowly lost the opening game 21-19 before bouncing back to take the second 21-13. However, Loh seized control in the decider, overpowering Shi 21-16 to secure the victory.

Shi, who claimed his second All England title last month, admitted his physical condition hampered his performance.

"Today, my body wasn't at its best, and I couldn't play to my strengths," said Shi.