The Youth Olympic Games will once again play a crucial role as a “laboratory”. This was described to the Chinese agency Xinhua by Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, referring to wushu, a sport that will be counted in the medal table for the first time in Dakar 2026 and will be evaluated for its possible inclusion in the Olympic program for the elderly.
“After its debut, we must wait and observe the level of international recognition and participation, as well as the overall performance of the competition,” explained Bach, who did not set deadlines for the decision to be taken nor indicated what edition it would be incorporated into if admitted.
The German leader, in turn, compared the situation of traditional Chinese sports with that of climbing and skateboarding, disciplines with which he shares Olympic roots: all three were part of the list of exhibition sports in Nanjing 2014, the first Youth Games in history. Wushu also had a parallel tournament in Beijing 2008, organized by the Organizing Committee of those Games, during those Games and with the award of Olympic medals by Bach.
Breakdance, the only event to premiere in Paris 2024, was part of Buenos Aires 2018, the second edition. The backlash is manifested by the sports that will be added in Los Angeles 2028 (baseball and softball, cricket, lacrosse, squash and flag football). None of the five needed the multi-sport event for children under 18 as a springboard to the top event.
After three rejected Olympic requests, wushu was announced on January 8, 2020 as an official sport at the Dakar Games, scheduled for 2022 and postponed to 2026 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Founded in 1990, the International Wushu Federation (IWUF) considers it “popular among young people” and highlights that it “offers gender equality in competition”, fundamental pillars in the disciplines recently inserted between the five rings.
Wushu, which emerged and professionalized in China, shows a strong roots in the continent where its Olympic baptism will take place: it was an official event at the 2018 African Youth Games and 39 federations from Africa make up the IWUF. In Dakar 2026, there will be four events in its modern Taolu mode, consisting of the staging of a combat routine (unlike the Sanda mode, in which the confrontation occurs). Will it be the first step in your Olympic journey?
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