The 2008 Beijing Wushu Tournament (Chinese: 北京2008武术比赛; pinyin: Běijīng 2008 wǔshù bǐsài) was a wushu competition which was held from August 21 to 24, 2008 at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in Beijing, China.[1] The tournament was organised by the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG), the International Wushu Federation (IWUF), and the Chinese Wushu Association (CWA),[2] and was held in tandem with the 2008 Summer Olympics.[3]
 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | China |
| City | Beijing |
| Venue(s) | Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium |
| Dates | August 21–24, 2008 |
| Participants | 128 (from 43 countries) |
The competition consisted of ten taolu events (5 male, 5 female), and five sanshou events (3 male, 2 female). The Chinese team dominated the competition with eight gold medals followed by Russia and Hong Kong which earned two gold medals each. Macau, Iran and the Philippines each won a single gold.[4]
Background
editWushu's first Olympic appearance was at the 1936 Summer Olympics as an unofficial exhibition event.[5]
Starting in the 1970s, the government of the People's Republic of China started to consider sport as a possible medium for friendly international exchange. One sport the PRC was very interested in developing was modern wushu. In 1982, the General Administration of Sport of China officially proclaimed that wushu practitioners had a duty 'to promote wushu to the world'[6][7] with the ultimate goal of wushu becoming an official event at the Olympic Games.
The International Wushu Federation (IWUF) was founded 1990 Asian Games, and over a decade later, it was fully recognised by the International Olympic Committee during the 113th IOC Congress at the 2002 Winter Olympics.[8] This development along with Beijing's successful bid in hosting the 2008 Olympics presented the opportunity for wushu to be included in the Games,[9] but as Jacques Rogge became the new president of the IOC in 2002, he announced the IOC's plans to reduce the number of the events at the Games.[10] This led to the creation of the Olympic Programme Commission which called for changes and reevaluations within the Olympic programme. Despite this, the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG), the IWUF, and the Chinese Wushu Association (CWA) began to lobby extensively for the official inclusion of wushu. Athletes and organisations argued that the inclusion of the sport would help culturally diversify the Games[11] and hoped that wushu would follow the same Olympic path as judo and taekwondo.[12]
In August 2002, the Olympic Programme Commission under Chairman Franco Carraro recommended to the IOC executive board that wushu should not be admitted to the 2008 Summer Olympics, and reasoned that it was not a sport of global appeal and that it would add no substantial value to the Games.[10][11] Shortly after this meeting though, the IOC reversed their decision and stated that the sport of wushu was once again under consideration.[13] In 2004, the Olympic Programme Commission introduced new evaluation criteria for Olympic sports to ensure the events would be fair and of high quality.[12] As a result, the IWUF switched to computerised scoring and the International Rules for Taolu Competition were significantly revised. Sanshou rules stayed relatively the same besides switching to computerised scoring.
In 2005, IOC President Rogge met with the IWUF President and IOC executive board member Yu Zaiqing at the Chinese Grand Prix[11] and announced that wushu will have no place in the Olympic Games in Beijing, not even as a demonstration sport.[14] After meeting again a few weeks later at the 2005 National Games of China, all parties involved came to a compromise. Despite the IOC's rule that no international or national sports competition is allowed in the Olympic host city during or one week before or after the Games and also despite the ban on demonstration events since the 1992 Summer Olympics, the IOC specifically permitted the IWUF to organise a wushu tournament alongside the Olympic Games due to wushu's place in traditional Chinese culture.[15] This collaboration was reaffirmed during a meeting at the 2006 World Traditional Wushu Championships, though the IOC did not specify if wushu had demonstration sport status, but referred to it as a 'representation sport.'[16][17]
Other than substituting the Olympic rings with the logo of the IWUF, all other elements (e.g. medal design, award presentation & ceremony, graphic elements and colours, volunteers of the tournament, etc.) were identical to the Olympics. Athletes were also allowed to stay in the athletes' village though were only allowed to arrive only a few days before the tournament.[18] The official BOCOG website also included the schedule, results, and profiles of the athletes.[19] Day two of the competition was broadcast on China Central Television (CCTV)[20] but other international channels provided live streaming for other days. The taolu and sanda events took place at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium, which was the site for the Handball competition at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Events
editThe Beijing Wushu Tournament borrowed the same combined-event format which was seen at wushu competitions such as the Asian Games, Southeast Asian Games, and the National Games of China. The events contested were:
- Changquan
- Daoshu and Gunshu combined
- Jianshu and Qiangshu combined
- Nanquan and Nangun combined (men only)
- Nanquan and Nandao combined (women only)
- Taijiquan and Taijijian combined
- Men's Sanshou: 56, 70, 85 kg
- Women's Sanshou: 52, 60 kg
Schedule
edit| ● | Round | ● | Last round | R | Round of 16 | ¼ | Quarterfinals | ½ | Semifinals | F | Final |
| Event↓/Date → | 21st
Thu |
22nd
Fri |
23rd
Sat |
24th
Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's changquan | ● | |||
| Men's daoshu and gunshu | ● | |||
| Men's jianshu and qiangshu | ● | |||
| Men's nanquan and nangun | ● | ● | ||
| Men's taijiquan and taijijian | ● | ● | ||
| Men's sanda 56 kg | R | ¼ | ½ | F |
| Men's sanda 70 kg | ¼ | ½ | F | |
| Men's sanda 85 kg | ¼ | ½ | F | |
| Women's changquan | ● | |||
| Women's daoshu and gunshu | ● | |||
| Women's nanquan and nandao | ● | ● | ||
| Women's jianshu and qiangshu | ● | ● | ||
| Women's taijiquan and taijijian | ● | ● | ||
| Women's sanda 52 kg | R | ¼ | ½ | F |
| Women's sanda 60 kg | ¼ | ½ | F |
Qualification
edit128 athletes from 43 countries took part in the Beijing Wushu Tournament. National federations were not allowed to send more than eight taolu and sanshou athletes to the competition.[21] Since China was the hosting nation, any of its athletes which competed at the 2007 world championships would qualify. Unlike the IOC, the IWUF recognises the Macau Olympic Committee and athletes representing Macau were allowed to compete in the competition.
Taolu
editBesides the typical awarding of medals per each taolu event at the 2007 world championships, all athletes were ranked based on their combined scores from the proposed events at the Beijing Wushu Tournament (ie. daoshu and gunshu; jianshu and qiangshu; etc.).[22] All athletes which ranked within the top six of a combined category or changquan (as ranking was done based only on the singular event) qualified for the Beijing Wushu Tournament.[7] The IWUF then distributed 20 wild cards to various national federations to send more athletes. A national federation could enter only one athlete per each event and all athletes could compete in only one event.[23]
As Chinese athletes at the 2007 world championships would automatically qualify for the Beijing Wushu Tournament, all of them opted not to participate in their second events after winning gold medals in their first events.[22]
Sanshou
editAll sanshou athletes who placed in the top eight in the selected events for this competition (men's 56 kg, 70 kg or 80 kg; women's 52 kg or 60 kg) at the 2007 world championships qualified for the tournament. Vacancies due to illness, injury, or nonavailability were not filled, hence the unusual distribution of participants and rounds.[23]
Medal summary
editSince the Beijing Wushu Tournament was not officially connected to the Olympic Games, medals earned were not added to the official Olympics medal tally.[4][24]
Medal table
edit* Host nation (Host nation (China))
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  China (CHN)* | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 2 |  Russia (RUS) | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| 3 |  Hong Kong (HKG) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 4 |  Macau (MAC) | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 5 |  Iran (IRI) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
 Philippines (PHI) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| 7 |  Malaysia (MAS) | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 8 |  Vietnam (VIE) | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 9 |  Japan (JPN) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 10 |  Chinese Taipei (TPE) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Italy (ITA) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 12 |  Egypt (EGY) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 13 |  Brazil (BRA) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Great Britain (GBR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Indonesia (INA) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 South Korea (KOR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (16 entries) | 15 | 15 | 20 | 50 | |
Medalists
editMen's taolu
edit| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Changquan |
Yuan Xiaochao China
|
Semen Udelov Russia
|
Ehsan Peighambari Iran
|
| Daoshu / Gunshu |
Zhao Qingjian China
|
Jia Rui Macau
|
Cheng Chung Hang Hong Kong
|
| Jianshu / Qiangshu |
Liu Yang Hong Kong
|
Lim Yew Fai Malaysia
|
Nguyễn Huy Thành Vietnam
|
| Nanquan / Nangun |
Willy Wang Philippines
|
Peng Wei-Chua Chinese Taipei
|
Pui Fook Chien Malaysia
|
| Taijiquan / Taijijian |
Wu Yanan China
|
Hei Zhi Hong Hong Kong
|
Yoshihiro Shimoda Japan
|
Men's sanshou
edit| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 56 kg |
Zhang Shuaike China
|
Nazir Shandulaev Russia
|
Qin Zhi Jian Macau
|
| Benjie Rivera Philippines
| |||
| 70 kg |
Cai Liang Chan Macau
|
Murad Akhadov Russia
|
Ahmad Ibrahim Egypt
|
| Yoon Soon-Myung South Korea
| |||
| 85 kg |
Muslim Salihov Russia
|
Hossein Ojaghi Iran
|
Emerson Almeida Brazil
|
| Nicholas Evagorou United Kingdom
|
Women's taolu
edit| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Changquan |
Daria Tarasova Russia
|
Xi Cheng Qing Macau
|
Susyana Tjhan Indonesia
|
| Daoshu / Gunshu |
Geng Xiaoling Hong Kong
|
Jade Xu Italy
|
Chai Fong Wei Malaysia
|
| Jianshu / Qiangshu |
Ma Lingjuan China
|
Han Jing Macau
|
Nguyễn Mai Phương Vietnam
|
| Nanquan / Nandao |
Lin Fan China
|
Erika Kojima Japan
|
Diana Bong Siong Lin Malaysia
|
| Taijiquan / Taijijian |
Cui Wenjuan China
|
Chai Fong Ying Malaysia
|
Ai Miyaoka Japan
|
Women's sanshou
edit| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 52 kg |
Qin Lizi China
|
Mary Jane Estimar Philippines
|
Nguyễn Thúy Ngân Vietnam
|
| Farzaneh Dehghani Iran
| |||
| 60 kg |
Zahra Karimi Iran
|
Lương Thị Hoa Vietnam
|
Walaa Abdelrazek Egypt
|
| Mariane Mariano Philippines
|
Participating nations
edit
Argentina (1)
Armenia (1)
Azerbaijan (2)
Australia (1)
Brazil (3)
Canada (3)
China (8)
Cuba (1)
Egypt (4)
Spain (1)
France (1)
Great Britain (2)
Hong Kong (6)
Indonesia (5)
Iran (5)
Israel (1)
Italy (4)
Japan (6)
Kazakhstan (1)
South Korea (5)
Lebanon (1)
Macau (7)
Malaysia (7)
Mexico (1)
Myanmar (2)
Netherlands (1)
New Zealand (1)
Philippines (4)
Poland (1)
Romania (3)
South Africa (1)
Russia (8)
Singapore (4)
Sri Lanka (1)
Switzerland (1)
Sweden (1)
Thailand (1)
Chinese Taipei (6)
Tunisia (2)
Turkey (1)
Ukraine (1)
United States (5)
Vietnam (8)
See also
edit
- 2007 World Wushu Championships - hosted in Beijing
- 2014 Nanjing Youth Wushu Tournament
References
edit- ^ Feng, Hui (2008-09-26). "The road to the Olympic Games for Wushu". China Daily. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
- ^ "武术比赛21日至24日举行 金牌不计入奥运奖牌榜-搜狐2008奥运". Sohu. Xinhua News Agency. 2008-08-05. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
- ^ "Beijing 2008 Wushu tournament kicks off". Xinhua News Agency. China Internet Information Center. 2008-08-21. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
- ^ a b "Wushu Tournament Beijing 2008 Results" (PDF). International Wushu Federation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-08-12. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
- ^ Watta, Evelyn (2022-11-02). "The rise of wushu in Senegal and Africa ahead of Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics". Olympics.com. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
- ^ Brownell, S (2012). Lo, Vivienne (ed.). "Wushu and the Olympic games: 'Combination of east and west' or clash of body cultures?". The International Journal of the History of Sport. 188. London: British Museum Research Publications: 59–69 – via SAGE Publishing.
- ^ a b ""北京2008武术比赛"-武术何时走进奥运会国际在线奥运频道8月22日封面故事". China Radio International (in Chinese). 2008-08-21. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
- ^ "About IWUF". International Wushu Federation. Archived from the original on 2019-03-07. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
- ^ Wood, Robert (2010). "Olympic Wushu (Demonstration)". Topend Sports Website. Archived from the original on 2015-03-30. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
- ^ a b Carraro, Franco (2002-08-29). "Olympic Programme Commission - Review of the Olympic Programme and the Recommendations on the Programme of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, Beijing 2008" (PDF). International Olympic Committee. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-12-19.
- ^ a b c E. Price, Monroe; Dayan, Daniel (2008). Price, Monroe; Dayan, Daniel (eds.). "Owning the Olympics: Narratives of the New China". New Media World. University of Michigan Press. doi:10.3998/nmw.5646196.0001.001. hdl:2027/spo.5646196.0001.001. ISBN 9780472070329 – via JSTOR.
- ^ a b Han, Qing-song; Theeboom, Marc; Zhu, Dong (2020-09-20). "Chinese martial arts and the Olympics: Analysing the policy of the International Wushu Federation". International Review for the Sociology of Sport. 56 (5): 603–624. doi:10.1177/1012690220957177. S2CID 224984229 – via SAGE Publishing.
- ^ "Wushu Goes for Olympics". EastDay (东方网). China Internet Information Center. 2002-08-26. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
- ^ "Rogge Says Wushu No 'Olympic Sport' in 2008". Xinhua News Agency. China Internet Information Center. 2005-10-16. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
- ^ Lei, Lei (2005-10-14). "Wushu to be part of Beijing Olympic Games". China Daily. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
- ^ "Wushu likely to be a "specially-set" sport at Olympics". Chinese Olympic Committee. Xinhua News Agency. 2006-10-17. Archived from the original on 2007-03-11. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
- ^ "Wushu Ready for Olympic Debut". China Daily. 2006-08-03. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
- ^ "Ninth IOC/BOCOG press conference". Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games. 2008-08-20. Archived from the original on 2008-09-06. Retrieved 2021-02-21.
- ^ 王, 拓 (2008-08-22). "组图：北京2008武术比赛". People's Daily (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2011-07-19.
- ^ Lee, Matthew (2014-05-10). "No Medal for You: Why (I Feel) Olympic Wushu is No Longer worth It". Jiayoo Wushu. Archived from the original on 2015-10-04. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
- ^ The official website of the BEIJING 2008 Olympic Games. "Wushu - Background - The official website of the BEIJING 2008 Olympic Games". beijing2008.cn. Archived from the original on 10 August 2008.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b "9th World Wushu Championships 2007 Beijing China Results" (PDF). International Wushu Federation. 2007-11-16. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-10-24.
- ^ a b "Wushu - Background - The official website of the BEIJING 2008 Olympic Games". Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games. 2008-09-15. Archived from the original on 2008-09-15. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
- ^ "Olympedia – Wushu". www.olympedia.org. Retrieved 2021-01-25.