Sports | Wushu Masters Challenge to be held next month

THE 2018 Wushu Masters Challenge will be held between August 2 and 5 this year. This event gathers the world’s Wushu masters to challenge one another to promote both friendship and the long history of the traditional martial arts, the Sports Bureau (ID) announced yesterday.

Activities will be held in various locations across Macau, including Tap Seac Multi- sports Pavilion, the Olympic Sports Centre Indoor Pavilion, Tap Seac Square and Park of Iao Hon Market.

Activities include the 2018 International Boxing Federation (IBF) Silk Road Champions Tournament, and the first World University Wushu Championship (authorized by International University Sports Federation).

Approximately 180 martial art athletes from 26 countries will participate in the World University Wushu Championship.

ID President Pun Weng Kun revealed that the budget for this year’s Wushu Masters Challenge is MOP18 million, which is the same as the previous year.

A series of events will be held, combining sports, tourism and culture as “one of the largest events of the year,” according to ID.

There will be a four-day themed event that highlights the three main Wushu categories of Lion Dance, Taolu and Sanda. These categories combine the elements of sports, tourism and culture, to create a brand-new sports and tourism event.

Regarding the Lion Dance, teams from mainland China, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Hong Kong and Macau will compete in the Belt and Road Lion Dance Races to complement the Belt and Road Initiative.

“I hope that, through this event, [Macau] can promote traditional martial arts. I hope that the event can lead to more foreigners learning about Macau,” said Pun, adding “I hope that this event can promote Macau’s cultural and creative products and artists, hotels and tourism.”

The ID president believes that after the previous two editions of Wushu Masters Challenge, the event has already accumulated adequate experience and built a good reputation in the world.

The participation of residents and tourists will be encouraged through the different forms of Wushu, enhancing their insights and knowledge of the traditional sport. The event also aims to provide a diverse communication platform for Wushu enthusiasts to learn and train, as well as to exchange and share among one another their experiences in practicing Wushu.

The 2018 Wushu Masters Challenge is jointly organized by the ID and the Wushu General Association of Macau. The event is also co-organized by the Macau Government Tourism Office, the Cultural Affairs Bureau and the Cultural Industries Fund, and supported by the International Wushu Federation, the Wushu Federation of Asia and the Chinese Wushu Association.