BEIJING, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Here are the latest Chinese sports headlines from the past week:

1. Chinese referees to make history in Ecuador-Curacao World Cup match

FIFA announced on June 19 that Chinese referee Fu Ming will serve as a video assistant referee (VAR) for the FIFA World Cup Group E match between Ecuador and Curacao.

With FIFA having already appointed Ma Ning as referee and Zhou Fei as assistant referee for the same match, it will mark the first time that three Chinese match officials work together in a World Cup fixture, a historic milestone for Chinese football referees.

The match will also see several records set by Chinese referees.

Ma will become the first Chinese referee to take charge of a World Cup match since 2002. He is also the only Chinese referee to have been selected for two consecutive World Cups. At the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Ma served as the fourth official in six matches.

Fu will become the first Chinese referee to serve as a VAR at a World Cup, while Zhou will become the first Chinese assistant referee to officiate on the field at a World Cup.

2. China defeats Germany in women's VNL 2nd week opener

China rallied from behind to beat Germany 3-2 in the opening match of the second competition week of the 2026 Women's Volleyball Nations League on June 17.

Germany edged a tight first set 27-25 at Ankara Spor Salonu before China responded to level the match with a 25-23 victory in the second set.

Germany regained the advantage by taking the third set 25-18, but China fought back to win the fourth set 25-20 and force a decider.

China dominated the fifth set 15-6 to seal the victory.

The second week of the Women's Volleyball Nations League began on June 17 across three host cities: Pasig in the Philippines, Bangkok and Ankara, with a total of 36 matches to be played.

3. China sweeps Cuba for first win at men's VNL

China closed out its 2026 FIVB Men's Volleyball Nations League campaign at the Linyi leg with a 3-0 victory over Cuba on June 14, earning its first win of the season.

Both teams entered the match on three-game losing streaks, while China had also slipped outside the top 30 in the world rankings.

China started strongly and quickly built a 9-6 lead, forcing Cuba to call an early timeout. The home side excelled in quick attacks and serving to take the opening set 25-21.

Cuba committed more unforced errors in the second set, while China maintained its offensive momentum to claim the set 25-19.

In the third set, Cuba's blocking caused problems for China, who fell 7-4 behind early on. However, China maintained aggressive attacking play and gradually turned the tables through stronger offense and improved serving, eventually sealing the set 25-23.

4. Chinese duos complete clean sweep of doubles titles at Australian Badminton Open

The Chinese pairs of Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping, Jia Yifan and Zhang Shuxian, and Chen Boyang and Liu Yi won their respective finals in Sydney on June 14 to claim the mixed, women's and men's doubles titles respectively at the Australian Badminton Open.

Feng and Huang, the world No. 1 duo, defeated compatriots and second seeds Guo Xinwa and Chen Fanghui 21-17, 21-19 in 52 minutes to win their second title of 2026 following success at the Malaysia Open in January.

Jia and Zhang rallied back from trailing 6-12 in the first game to beat Indonesia's Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Meilysa Trias Puspita Sari 24-22, 21-13 in 59 minutes.

In the final match of the tournament at Sydney's State Sports Center, men's doubles fourth seeds Chen and Liu triumphed 21-15, 21-19 over Indonesian third seeds Sabar Karyaman Gutama and Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani.

5. Zheng Qinwen rallies past Sakkari for first grass-court win of season

China's Zheng Qinwen battled back from a set down to defeat sixth-seeded Maria Sakkari of Greece 4-6, 7-6 (1), 6-4 at the WTA 250 Nottingham Open on June 15, claiming her first grass-court win of the season.

The victory marked a positive start to Zheng's grass-court campaign after a first-round exit at the French Open earlier this month.

The past two seasons have been challenging for Zheng, who has struggled with injuries, and undergone surgery.

Zheng lost to Australia's Talia Gibson 6-3, 7-6 (10) in the second round on June 17.