BEIJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Here are the latest Chinese sports headlines from the past week:

1. 4th Asian Para Games torch relay held in Hangzhou

The torch relay for the 4th Asian Para Games officially started in Chun'an County, Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province on October 19.

Chinese State Councilor Shen Yiqin lit the torch and handed it to Tan Yujiao, the first torchbearer and powerlifting champion of the Rio and Tokyo Paralympic Games.

From October 19 to 21, the torch has been relayed through Chun'an County, Jiande City, Tonglu County, Fuyang District and Xiaoshan District in Hangzhou, featuring 600 torchbearers, including 51 overseas participants from 41 countries and regions.

The flame will arrive at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium and light the main cauldron at the opening ceremony of the Hangzhou Asian Para Games on October 22.

2. Hangzhou Asian Para Games Village opens

The opening ceremony of the Hangzhou Asian Para Games Village, as well as the welcoming ceremony for the Chinese delegation, was held on October 16.

Following around one week of transformation, the Asian Games Village has been converted into the Asian Para Games Village to welcome its first batch of residents.

Covering an area of 325,000 square meters, the village will comprise 3,446 rooms during the Asian Para Games.

3. Song Kai elected new president of Chinese Football Association

Senior sports official Song Kai was elected president of the Chinese Football Association (CFA) at its 12th membership conference on October 16.

58-year-old Song, head of the Administration of Sport in northeast China's Liaoning Province, has been working as vice head of the preparatory group for the CFA election since June.

Sun Wen, Yuan Yongqing, Yang Xu and Xu Jiren were elected vice presidents of the CFA, with Chinese women's football legend Sun being the only vice president to remain in her position from the 11th membership conference.

4. New CBA season kicks off

Defending champion Liaoning Flying Leopards crushed the Nanjing Monkey Kings 109-85 as the 2023-24 season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league kicked off on October 21.

Entering its 29th year, the CBA features 52 rounds of matches for the regular season, compared to 42 last year.

As for the playoffs, the first round adopts a best-of-three format, with best-of-five for the quarterfinals and semifinals, and best-of-seven for the finals.

The All-Star Weekend will take place from March 1 to 3, 2024 in Xiamen, east China's Fujian Province.

5. Sichuan, Inner Mongolia win WCBA season openers

The 2023-24 Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) season tipped off on October 17 with last season's finalists, Sichuan and Inner Mongolia, both getting off to triumphant starts.

Defending champions Sichuan defeated Zhejiang 103-90, while runners-up Inner Mongolia beat Wuhan 74-61.

The WCBA regular season, which features 38 rounds of games, will be divided into two stages, with the first from October 17 to January 1, 2024, and the second from February 17, 2024 to March 14, 2024.

The All-Star Weekend will take place on March 16 and 17, 2024, and the playoffs will run from March 19 to April 8, 2024, followed by the finals from April 11 to 21. The playoffs will follow a best-of-three format, and the finals will adopt best-of-five.