Wushu to make Olympic debut
2006-08-03 08:33
Beijing - The Chinese martial art of wushu will feature at the 2008 Olympics, but only in an informal manner after a bid to make it an official or exhibition event was rejected, state press reported on Thursday.
"Through numerous efforts, we will finally take wushu to the Olympic stage," the China Daily quoted Wushu Administration Centre director Wang Xialin as saying.
Wang said the event would be called the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Wushu Competition, with International Olympic Committee-approved medals handed out.
IOC president Jacques Rogge said last year during a visit to China that wushu did not make the grade as an Olympic sport but that some form of informal competition for the sport could be held alongside the 2008 Games.
"We are not introducing wushu into the Olympic program. It will not be an exhibition. Not at all," Rogge said. China had lobbied for wushu to be an Olympic sport at the Beijing Games.