Wushu gets IOC attention

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President -Thomas Bach and Honorary President Jacques Rogge will award -medals to the winners of the wushu (martial arts) tournament - to be held from Friday to Sunday - at the Youth Olympic Games in Gaochun, Nanjing, capital city of East China's Jiangsu province.

Bach will present the winner of the first day the gold medal while Rogge, who is studying tai chi in Gaochun, will award the winners on the final day, -according to organizers.

The wushu tournament is classed as a demonstration event in the current Olympic Games due to the limit of events at the Games. Currently the IOC sanctions 28 sports in the -Summer Games.

The International Wushu Federation (IWUF) now has 149 members worldwide since being established in 1990 in Beijing. The world body has since relocated its headquarters to Lausanne, Switzerland.

The governing body is bidding for a berth at the Olympic Games but faces competition from several sports including baseball. The IWUF has its global events such as World Wushu Championships, which is held every two years.

Anthony Tengkoi Goh, vice-executive president of the IWUF, said the limit of 28 sports events at each Olympic Games is the main problem thwarting wushu from being included in the future.

During the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, wushu also had a parallel event, which Goh believes gave a big boost to wushu's popularization.

Wang Xiaolin, an official with the IWUF, believes making the judging program transparent is a key way to promote wushu on the global stage.

"We've already involved technology into the judging program, to avoid personal -issues on the judgment," Wang told a news conference on Monday.

Competitive wushu composes two disciplines: taolu (routines) and sanda (sparring). Each game of wushu will be officiated by three independent judges.

Wushu has a renowned history in China, with moves such as stances, kicks, punches, jumps, sweeps and throws featuring heavily in the sport.