Last night, the 2024 International Wushu Invitational Tournament was grandly opened at the Jiangyin Pegasus Water City Cultural and Sports Center, where nearly 300 participants from all over the world gathered in Jiangyin to compete in a two-day martial arts taolu and sanda competition.
Gao Zhidan, President of the International Wushu Federation, Director of the General Administration of Sports of the People's Republic of China, and President of the Chinese Olympic Committee, announced the opening of the event.
Vice Governor Xu Ying and Director of the Provincial Sports Bureau Chen Shaojun attended the opening ceremony. Zhao Jianjun, Mayor of Wuxi, and Zhang Yuping, Director of the Organizing Committee of the 2024 International Wushu Invitational Tournament and Director of the Wushu Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sports of the People's Republic of China, delivered speeches respectively. Wu Tinggui and Sharif Mustafa, vice presidents of the International Wushu Federation, Li Qiufeng and Qin Yongxin, leaders of Wuxi City, Chen Shoubin, Secretary General of Wuxi Municipal Government, Bao Ming, Chen Xinghua, Cheng Zheng, Huang Yu, Yu Qiuhao, Jin Danjing, leaders of Jiangyin City, and Zhou Jianping, vice chairman of the Chinese Wushu Association and chairman of the Provincial Wushu Sports Association, attended the opening ceremony.
Zhao Jianjun welcomed the athletes, coaches and referees from all over the world, and expressed his gratitude to friends from all walks of life who have long cared for and supported the development of sports in Wuxi.
He said that the International Wushu Invitational Tournament is the highest level of world events in the martial arts industry, and he hopes that everyone will carry forward the spirit of martial arts, fight bravely, dare to be the first, and compete in level, style and friendship. As the host of this event, Wuxi will uphold the concept of "high level, high specification and high quality", ensure the smooth progress of the event with careful deployment and first-class service, and actively release the effect of the event, promote the deep integration of martial arts culture into the construction of a strong sports city, help the construction of urban civilization and the physical and mental health of the citizens, and continue to enhance the sense of gain of the masses and the reputation of the city.
At the opening ceremony, the representatives of athletes and referees took the oath respectively, and martial arts enthusiasts from Jiangsu Wushu Team, Pegasus Taiji Elite Team, and Henan Dengfeng Shaolin Epo Wushu School took the stage successively, and wonderful programs such as waist drums, Taijiquan, knife skills, and Shaolin Kung Fu were staged one after another. The opening ceremony was broadcast live on the online platform to show the unique charm of traditional Chinese culture to the world audience.
Originated in China, martial arts belong to the world, rich in connotation, broad and profound, and are the treasures of human civilization. In January 2020, wushu was approved as a programme for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, and in the same year, Taijiquan, one of the representative forms of wushu, was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. As a sport rich in cultural connotation and philosophical thoughts, martial arts is loved and recognized by the world for its ancient and youthful charm.
As a city advocating sports and full of vitality, in recent years, the Jiangyin Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government have attached great importance to the development of sports, continued to promote the national strategy of national fitness, vigorously popularized and promoted martial arts, tai chi, swimming and other sports, and continuously strengthened the integrated development of "sports +", and continued to build Jiangyin sports tourism boutique routes, high-quality events and demonstration bases with Xinqiao as the core, so as to promote the vigorous development of the cultural, sports and tourism industry.
It is reported that the event was hosted by the International Wushu Federation and the Chinese Wushu Association, undertaken by the Jiangsu Provincial Sports Bureau, the Jiangsu Wushu Sports Association, and the Wuxi Municipal People's Government, and co-organized by the Wuxi Municipal Sports Bureau, the Jiangyin Municipal People's Government, and Jiangyin Xinqiao Pegasus Cultural and Sports Development Co., Ltd. The competition venue is located in the country's largest martial arts-themed cultural and sports hall - Jiangyin Pegasus Water City Cultural and Sports Center, with a total construction area of 120,000 square meters, which can accommodate 10,000 people to watch the competition at the same time.
Photo source: Wuxi Daily, Heilan Group