You’ve seen it in the Matrix. Bruce Lee was its most famous proponent. An animated panda tickled audiences this year. Now practitioners hope that wushu, more commonly known as kungfu, will be contested at the Olympics.
Wushu’s backers are trying to cram the millennia-old art on to a packed Olympics calendar, arguing a growing following. They claim a victory for a sport that for the first time held an unofficial competition on the sidelines of the Games in Beijing.
China’s growing clout, hit films such as Kung Fu Panda and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and international stars Jet Li and Jackie Chan have helped the martial art lure devotees from Vietnam to Sweden.
Ma Lingjuan - 1st place Qianshu events
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They have boxing at the Olympics. They have taekwondo. This is all that in one package,” Sarah Ponce, 32, said after a sparring match. She took three months off her job to train and paid her own way from the United States to China.
But it might take more than a decade before wushu’s signature whirling kicks and lightning punches will be seen at the Games.
Sports for the 2012 Olympics have been decided and wushu is not shortlisted for 2016. Its advocates are holding out for 2020.
The Games in Beijing showcased 28 sports. In London, the number will fall to 26 after the exit of baseball and softball. And a slew of other sports will be vying for a place in 2016, such as squash, rugby, golf and karate.
The International Wushu Federation is one of the IOC’s 31 recognized federations along with cricket, golf, karate, rugby and squash, meaning a spot on the program is not impossible.
“Wushu will need to prepare for submitting a strong file in 2011,” Jan Fransoo, president of the Association of the IOC Recognized International Sports Federation, said.
The 2020 Games will be determined seven years before.
Ever since Bruce Lee wielded his double-section staff, more popularly known as the nunchuks, wushu has evolved into a graceful art similar to gymnastic floor exercises.
This week in Beijing, practitioners compete in a range of events: sanshou or full-contact sparring akin to Thai boxing; nanquan or graceful somersaults and punching manoeuvres; daoshu, or flashy Chinese sabers.
“We know it’s not easy, but we’re working quite hard. We are widening our worldwide presence and promoting wushu as a sport internationally by having more demonstrations abroad,” Han Jianming, spokesman for the Chinese Wushu Association, said.
Tat Mau Wong, vice-president of the USA Wushu-Kung Fu Federation, admitted that cash is hard to come by in a country that swears by basketball, baseball and football.
Zhao Qingjuan - Daoshu
Still, some are happy to make it to the Beijing Olympics.
“Although it is not an official Olympic event, this is the first time wushu has come so close to the Olympics,” Ma Lingjuan, ranked first in a weapons competition, said.
“This is a great opportunity to show the world wushu.”
Fuente: China Daily
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