Ever since 1986, have been hoping Wushu might get a chance to be included in the Olympics, that was the year China decided it would launch the attempt to make Wushu a world sport. Well, as you all know it did not make it in 2008. But on July 4, the Olympic executive board, announced the inclusion of ski slopes, slopestyle and snowboard parallel slalom in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. Interesting to me however was the included statement that in 2013 the executive committee will consider adding: baseball, karate, roller sports, softball, sports climbing, squash, wakeboard, and Wushu! They can include up to 28 sports.That is good news, but it won't be easy, many of the other sports have much greater appeal and exposure than Wushu. Plus importantly, most of those other sports are better organized and have sponsors backing them. Until China and the IWUF, decide on how to promote the sport to the masses it will have a hard time. It is not enough just to have a small layer of athletes at the top. Wushu must become a mature sports with local, regional and national competitions, where the rules and judges are neutral and fair. There must also be a united teaching curriculum and standard competition forms....this particularly at the lower levels. And Taiji they just must get rid of the nandu that make no sense in an internal art. I think more emphasis should be spent on group competition and Sparring sets...they are unique and different from other martial arts......and they need to start now so other sports don't add it to their sport, as witnessed by the current karate circuit, which has pretty much added wushu techniques to make up their free form competition. Anyways what do you all think?
Coming: Sept 14 Mid-Autumn Festival Sept 15 Dragon Boat Festival Oct 12 4th Annual Golden State Chinese Martial Arts Champions