(China Daily) Next year, Formula One will see one of its biggest changes in a generation.  

Sweeping new regulations will change how cars look, sound and run. The goal is to make them more "agile, competitive, safer and more sustainable," governing body FIA said. Some teams all but abandoned their 2025 car designs early this year in search of the biggest boost they could get in 2026.  

Reporters spoke with Nikolas Tombazis, who is overseeing the transition to the new rules as the director for single-seater racing series at the FIA, to explain how the changes will affect the action on track, and what could still change.  

'Bigger gaps' possible

Teams are guarding their development data, but what has become public suggests the slowest cars could be way off the pace.

(China Daily) An international crowd of 1,500 riders overcame a test of speed and endurance for a bicycle challenge featuring a 1,000-meter elevation change on a cliffside road in Tianmen Mountain scenic area of Zhangjiajie, Hunan province, on Sunday.  

The participants came from all around the world, including China, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France.

(China Daily) Chongqing's Datianwan Stadium became the center of excitement on Saturday night as it hosted the opening match of the Chongqing City Football League, also known as Yu Chao. This is the upgraded version of the city's amateur super league, launched in 2016.  

The stadium and its surroundings were turned into a vibrant carnival with food stands, cultural exhibits and live music performances.

(Xinhua) Defending champion Italy beat China 2-0 on Tuesday to book a ticket in the Billie Jean King Cup semifinal.  

World No 8 Jasmine Paolini's comeback to overcome Wang Xinyu 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4 to seal the win for Italy after a marathon match into midnight. Wang led 4-2 in the third set only to see Paolini win four straight games to secure the victory.  

An earlier match saw Elisabetta Cocciaretto edge Yuan Yue 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 in 2 hours and 52 minutes.

(Xinhua) World No. 1 women's tennis player Aryna Sabalenka has withdrawn from the China Open, tournament organizers announced Tuesday morning.  

"Hi all - I am sad to announce my withdrawal from the China Open this year after sustaining a small injury after the US Open. I am going to focus on being 100% healthy for the rest of the year and I can't wait to see my Chinese fans soon! I look forward to returning to Beijing next year and wish the tournament good luck," Sabalenka said in a statement.

(Reuters) American Taylor Townsend apologized on Wednesday for comments she made about food served at a buffet ahead of the Billie Jean King Cup finals in Shenzhen, China. 

"This is the craziest thing I've ever seen ... and people eating this," she said in videos posted on social media.

"As I go back and I look ... these people are literally killing frogs ... bullfrogs.

(Xinhua) Canada's Ethan Katzberg retained his hammer throw world title with an event record of 84.70 meters, while Kenya's Faith Kipyegon extended her dominance in middle-distance running by winning her fourth 1,500m world title at the World Athletics Championships on Tuesday.  

Katzberg, 23, delivered his best throw on the second round, beating the previous championships record of 83.63m set by Ivan Tikhon of Belarus back in 2007.

(Xinhua) The third day of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo produced five gold medals on Monday, highlighted by Sweden's Armand Duplantis clearing 6.30 meters to break the men's pole vault world record for the 14th time in his career.  

China also celebrated its first medals of the Tokyo worlds as Zhao Jie and Zhang Jiale claimed silver and bronze in the women's hammer throw.  

Olympic champion Duplantis once again proved unstoppable.

(China Daily) After making his name with a late-season surge last year, China's ATP Tour rookie Buyunchaokete has learned that, to play better, he has to play less — and more aggressively — on the competitive men's circuit.  

A year ago, few even knew how to correctly pronounce his name, and now he's proudly flying the flag for Chinese men at the game's elite level as the country's highest-ranked ace this week, entering the annual "China Swing" on the professional calendar.

(China Daily) Asian golf has long yearned for a moment like this, and China's top golfers could be beneficiaries.
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