Yearender: Top 10 world sports news events in 2023

BEIJING, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- Here is Xinhua News Agency's selection of the 10 most significant pieces of international sports news in 2023, in chronological order:

This file photo taken on June 10, 2023 shows team members of Manchester City celebrating with the trophy after winning the UEFA Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan at Istanbul's Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Türkiye. (Xinhua)

This file photo taken on June 10, 2023 shows team members of Manchester City celebrating with the trophy after winning the UEFA Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan at Istanbul's Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Türkiye. (Xinhua)

This file photo taken on June 3, 2023 shows Manchester City players celebrating after winning the FA Cup Final match between Manchester City and Manchester United in London, Britain. (Xinhua)

- Manchester City won its maiden UEFA Champions League title following a 1-0 victory over Inter Milan in Istanbul on June 10.

Having already won the English Premier League and the FA Cup, City thus completed a treble, before adding the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup to a trophy-laden 2023.

This file photo taken on June 12, 2023 shows Nikola Jokic (front L) of Denver Nuggets holding the NBA Finals MVP Award trophy after Denver Nuggets won the 2023 NBA Finals against Miami Heat in Denver, the United States. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

This file photo taken on June 12, 2023 shows Nikola Jokic (front L) of Denver Nuggets holding the NBA Finals MVP Award trophy after Denver Nuggets won the 2023 NBA Finals against Miami Heat in Denver, the United States. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

This file photo taken on June 12, 2023 shows members of team Denver Nuggets celebrating during the awarding ceremony after defeating Miami Heat to win the NBA finals in Denver, the United States. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

- On June 12, the Denver Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat 94-89 in Game 5 of the 2022-23 NBA Finals to win the best-of-seven series 4-1, clinching their first ever championship.

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP).

This file photo taken on Oct. 23, 2023 shows Qin Haiyang (R) of China and Kaylee McKeown of Australia posing for photos after winning the Best Swimmers of the Year 2023 award during the World Aquatics Gala in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

This file photo taken on July 30, 2023 shows Qin Haiyang of China posing with his medals after the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. (Xinhua/Xia Yifang)

This file photo taken on July 28, 2023 shows Qin Haiyang of China celebrating after the men's 200m breaststroke final of swimming at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

- At the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan running from July 14 to 30, China's Qin Haiyang became the first swimmer in history to win all three breaststroke events at a single edition of the championships, while Australian Kaylee McKeown also emerged victorious in three different events in the women's backstroke.

Qin and McKeown were honored as the Best Male and Female Swimmer of 2023 by World Aquatics in October.

This file photo taken on Aug. 20, 2023 shows team Spain celebrating during the awarding ceremony of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Sydney, Australia. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

This file photo taken on Aug. 20, 2023 shows players of Spain celebrating after winning the Final between Spain and England at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Sydney, Australia. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)

This file photo taken on July 20, 2023 shows the opening match between New Zealand and Norway at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Auckland, New Zealand. (Xinhua/Bai Xuefei)

- The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup took place in Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to August 20, marking the first time for the tournament to be held in the southern hemisphere, to feature 32 teams, and to have more than one host nation.

Spain edged England 1-0 in the final, becoming the second country after Germany to have won both men's and women's World Cup titles.

According to FIFA, the tournament had almost two million spectators inside stadiums and two billion watching all over the world.

This file photo taken on Sept. 10, 2023 shows team Germany celebrating after winning the FIBA World Cup final in Manila, the Philippines. (Xinhua/Meng Yongmin)

This file photo taken on Sept. 10, 2023 shows team Germany celebrating after winning the FIBA World Cup final in Manila, the Philippines. (Xinhua/Meng Yongmin)

This file photo taken on Sept. 8, 2023 shows players of Germany celebrating after winning the semifinal between the United States and Germany at the 2023 FIBA World Cup in Manila, the Philippines. (Xinhua/Meng Yongmin)

- The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup was staged in Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines from August 25 to September 10, marking the first time in history that the event has been hosted by multiple countries.

After defeating Serbia 83-77 in the final, Germany won its first World Cup with an unbeaten record in eight games, becoming the seventh different team to win the title. Germany guard Dennis Schroder was named the tournament's MVP.

This file photo taken on Sept. 23, 2023 shows flag bearers carring the Chinese national flag into the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium during the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Xinhua/Chen Yichen)

This file photo taken on Sept. 23, 2023 shows a view of the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium during the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting)

This file photo taken on Oct. 22, 2023 shows artists performing during the opening ceremony of the 4th Asian Para Games in Hangzhou of east China's Zhejiang Province. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

- The 19th Asian Games was held from September 23 to October 8 in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province.

With breakdancing and esports making their debuts as official medal sports, the Hangzhou Asian Games featured 40 sports, 61 disciplines and 481 events, with participation from over 10,000 athletes from all 45 Olympic Council of Asia members.

China clinched 201 gold, 111 silver and 71 bronze medals, finishing atop the medal tally and bettering its previous best record of 199 golds at the 2010 edition in Guangzhou.

The 4th Asian Para Games took place in Hangzhou from October 22 to 28, with China winning 214 golds and 521 overall to top the medal tally for the fourth consecutive time.

This file photo taken on Oct. 8, 2023 shows Kelvin Kiptum (L) competing during the Chicago Marathon in downtown Chicago, the United States. (Photo by Vincent D. Johnson/Xinhua)

This file photo taken on Oct. 8, 2023 shows Kelvin Kiptum competing during the Chicago Marathon in downtown Chicago, the United States. (Photo by Vincent D. Johnson/Xinhua)

This file photo taken on Sept. 24, 2023 shows Tigist Assefa celebrating after winning the women's race of the Berlin Marathon 2023. (Xinhua/Ren Pengfei)

- Both men's and women's marathon world records were shattered in 2023. On October 8, Kenya's Kelvin Kiptum became the first man to run a marathon in under 2:01:00, setting a new world record of two hours and 35 seconds to win the Chicago Marathon, while Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia lowered the women's record with her 2:11:53 run to victory in the Berlin Marathon on September 24.

This file photo taken on Oct. 16, 2023 shows a digital display showing the sports of baseball and softball for their feature as one of five new sports at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, during the second day of the 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in Mumbai, India. (Xinhua/Cao Can)

This file photo taken on Oct. 16, 2023 shows a digital display showing the sport of squash for its feature as one of five new sports at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, during the second day of the 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in Mumbai, India. (Xinhua/Cao Can)

This file photo taken on Oct. 16, 2023 shows IOC members voting during the second day of the 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in Mumbai, India. (Xinhua/Cao Can)

- Cricket and baseball/softball will return to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games after the 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session approved the proposal on October 16. Flag football, lacrosse and squash will also feature at Los Angeles 2028 as additional sports.

In a separate vote, IOC members confirmed that weightlifting and modern pentathlon will retain their Olympic places, after the International Weightlifting Federation took action to solve doping issues, and a makeover for modern pentathlon sees obstacle racing replace equestrian.

This file photo taken on Nov. 19, 2023 shows Novak Djokovic kissing the trophy after winning the final match at ATP Finals tennis tournament in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)

This file photo taken on Jan. 29, 2023 shows Novak Djokovic celebrating with his trophy during the awarding ceremony after the men's singles final match at Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia. (Xinhua/Bai Xuefei)

This file photo taken on Sept. 10, 2023 shows Novak Djokovic celebrating during the awarding ceremony for the men's singles event at the 2023 US Open tennis championships in New York, the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

- Serbia's tennis icon Novak Djokovic won the ATP Finals title for the seventh time on November 19, breaking the record of six titles he had shared with Roger Federer.

The 36-year-old won three Grand Slams in 2023, improving his tally of Grand Slam singles titles to 24, and he has surpassed Serena Williams' 23 to take the lead in the Open Era.

This file photo taken on March 5, 2023 shows Red Bull Racing's Dutch driver Max Verstappen celebrating after winning the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit in Bahrain. (Photo by Qian Jun/Xinhua)

This file photo taken on Nov. 26, 2023 shows Dutch Formula One driver Max Verstappen (2nd L) of Red Bull Racing posing on the podium after the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). (Photo by Qian Jun/Xinhua)

This file photo taken on Nov. 26, 2023 shows Red Bull Racing's driver Max Verstappen performing a burnout after winning the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). (Photo by Qian Jun/Xinhua)

- Red Bull's Max Verstappen rounded off the 2023 Formula 1 World Championship with a typically dominant victory at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

This was Verstappen's 19th win of 22 Grand Prix in a record-breaking year, as the Dutchman secured his third consecutive F1 Drivers' Championship in the Qatar Sprint race in October.