Azernews.Az

By Laman Ismayilova

The 26th Azerbaijan Wushu Championship will take place at the Shagan Olympic Sports Complex on April 7-8.

The championship, organized by the Ministry of Youth and Sport and the Azerbaijan Wushu Federation aims to increase the skill of athletes and determine the squad for 2018 European Wushu Championship.

Wushu fighters will compete for medals in different age and weight categories.

The foundation of Martial Arts in Azerbaijan was laid in 1989.

The first trainings were held in Savalan Centre. Azerbaijan Wushu Federation was established in 1991. From 1990, national wushu masters have been winners at international championships.

Azerbaijan Wushu Federation is a member of the International Wushu Federation since 1993.

Wushu is the collective term for the martial art practices which originated and developed in China.

Over its long history, wushu has developed into numerous distinct styles and systems, each incorporating their own techniques, tactics, principles and methods.

It was one of eight sports being considered for a single spot in the 2020 Olympics. In May 2013 the IOC decided to drop wushu from the shortlist. Another vote to add a sport onto the 2020 Tokyo Olympic program in June 2015 found wushu short listed with another 7 sports, but again it was dropped from the list.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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