Wushu today, competition and the Olympics The athletic value of today’s Wushu can be found in the education and refinement of the movements which must still be fluid, soft, elegant in their fast and often complex succession of gestures, movements in which the centrality and balance of the body is basic. After the success of image that Wushu had by participating, as an oriental demonstration discipline, in the Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936,
it gradually changed technically, adapting to the competitive needs of the West, becoming an interesting international sport and laying the foundations for becoming an Olympic sport. . The path of Wushu as a sport The important stages of Wushu, after the experience as a demonstration discipline at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, were:
• 1956 establishment of the China Wushu Association in Beijing
• 1982 organization of the first World Wushu Conference in Beijing
• 1985 establishment of the Promoting Committee of the World Federation of Wushu
• 1990. Establishment of the International Wushu Federation in Beijing – I.Wu.F.
• 1994. The I.Wu.F. is recognized by the G.A.I.S.F. – General Association International Sport Federation
• 1999 Ill C.I.O. – International Olympic Committee recognizes the I.Wu.F.
• 1999 joining of I.Wu.F. to the Association Recognized International Federation
• 2002 In the words of the IOC President Rogge: “Wushu is welcome to join the Olympic family” the recognition by the IOC was formalized. of the I.Wu.F. as an International Olympic Federation Currently I.Wu.F. it has 86 affiliated National Federations representing the five Continents and it is estimated that Wushu practitioners in the world are close to 10 million, considering that in China alone there are over 12,000 wushu schools.
The styles in Wushu The sport of Wushu includes two disciplines called: Taolu and Sanshou. The Taolu, a set of attack and defense movements, is divided into exercises performed with bare hands, exercises with weapons, group exercises and pre-established combats. • The bare hand exercises include the following styles: Changquan (northern style), Nanquan (southern style), Taijiquan, Xinylquan, Baguazhang, Tongbeiquan, Ditangquan. • Weapon exercises include the styles of the Saber, Sword, Spear, Double Saber, Whip with nine sections, and Staff. • The pre-established fights can be carried out by two, three or more athletes and are divided into exercises with or without weapons. Sanshou is a form of full contact combat, which is performed with the lower limbs, with the upper limbs and with different throwing techniques. Modern forms At an international competitive level, the competitions include: • In the discipline of Taolu, both male and female 10 styles: Changquan, Nanquan, Taijiquan, Daoshu, Jianshu, Nandao, Taijian, Qiangshu, Gunshu, Nangun • In the Sanshou discipline, for men only, there are 10 weight categories: 48,52,56,60,65,70,75,80,85,90, over 90. The Olympic forms The I.Wu: F., International Wushu Federation, proposed to the IOC – International Olympic Committee to include the discipline of Taolu in the following styles in the Beijing Olympic Games: • Males: Changquan, Nanquan, Saber, Staff. • Females. Changquan, Taijiquan, Sword, Spear.