BEIJING, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Here are the latest Chinese sports headlines from the past week:

1. Ning, Zhang carry flag for China as Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics opens with multi-venue ceremony

Speed skater Ning Zhongyan and short track speed skater Zhang Chutong carried the flag for China as the Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games opened on February 6 with an unprecedented ceremony staged in two cities - Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, featuring "Armonia", or harmony in English.

The athletes' parade took place across four locations: Milan, Livigno, Predazzo and Cortina.

Milan-Cortina 2026 marks Italy's third time hosting the Winter Olympics, following the 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo Games and the 2006 Turin Games, and stands as the most geographically spread-out Winter Olympics in history. Its competition venues are divided into four clusters: the urban hub of Milan, and the mountain venues of Cortina, Valtellina and Val di Fiemme, spanning over 22,000 square kilometers in northern Italy.

China has fielded its largest-ever delegation for an overseas Winter Olympics, sending 126 athletes to compete in 91 events across 15 disciplines, a lineup highlighted by nine gold medalists from the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

2. China's Gu Ailing shakes off crash to reach slopestyle final at Milan-Cortina

China's freestyle skiing star Gu Ailing recovered from an early fall to advance to the women's slopestyle final on February 7 at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

The 22-year-old Olympic champion crashed early on the rail section of her first qualifying run and finished with 1.26 points, despite completing the remainder of the course.

After regrouping, and sharing an embrace with her mother, Gu returned for her second run. Wearing an outfit featuring a Chinese dragon, which she called "a symbol of strength, courage and power," she delivered a composed and technically sound performance for 75.30 points, the second-highest score, to secure a place in the final.

3. Coventry praises Beijing 2022 for inspiring Milan-Cortina venue planning

The Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games offered useful lessons during the planning phase for Milan-Cortina 2026, particularly in the increased use of technology in venue development, International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry said at a press conference in Milan on February 1.

"Beijing 2022 showed us how to use existing facilities in different ways, and we've been able to do that here," Coventry said. "It's been tried and tested and has been successful. We'll continue to do that in the future."

4. World No. 1 Wang to meet teenager Chang in semifinals at table tennis Asian Cup

Men's singles world No. 1 Wang Chuqin of China and Chinese Taipei's teenage paddler Chang Yu-An will meet in the semifinals after claiming victories in the Asian Cup quarterfinals on February 7.

Wang defeated teammate Zhou Qihao 7-11, 11-4, 11-8, 7-11, 11-6, 11-6, while 19-year-old Chang edged Japan's Yukiya Uda 4-3.

The other men's singles semifinal will be between Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto and Shunsuke Togami, after Togami upset home player Lin Shidong in a seven-game quarterfinal.

On the women's side, China's Sun Yingsha will face teammate Kuai Man, while China's Wang Manyu will play Japan's Miwa Harimoto in the semifinals.

5. Inbound ski visits surge 89% as winter sports boom in China, says official data

China's winter sports economy has maintained steady growth, with inbound visits to ski resorts surging 89.2 percent year-on-year during the 2025-2026 snow season, an official with the General Administration of Sport of China said on February 6.

According to Ai Yu, an official with the General Administration of Sport of China, ski resorts nationwide recorded 118 million visits between November 1, 2025 and January 31, 2026, including 1.255 million inbound visits. Total consumption at ski resorts and surrounding areas reached 69.15 billion yuan (about 9.7 billion U.S. dollars), with transaction volume up six percent year-on-year.