Although the sports of wushu hasn’t earned yet recognition as a medal event in the Olympic Games, this doesn’t stop the Wushu Federation of the Philippines from sending its athletes to the coming several international competitions.
Hoping that the quadrennial conclave will soon open its door for wushu to be included in its calendar, the WFP has embarked on a two-year program stating this year in preparation for what two of its officials said are cedrtain to happen.
The local federation, in fact, has, in its calendar this year alone, participation in no less than six international competitions that will bring its best campaigners to travel to as far as Morocco, Italy and Australia as well as Japan and India in Asia
WFP secretary general Julian Camacho and his deputy, Red Dumuk, announced during the SCOOP Forum aired Saturday night that double gold medalist Agatha Wong in the recently-ended 30th Southeast Asian Games will be strutting her wares in the Third Taolu (form) World Cup in Tokyo.
The pretty, statuesque Wong will also compete in the Fourth World Taijiquan Championships scheduled in Catania, Italy.
Camacho, incidentally, is a vice president of the Asian Wushu Federation, as well as member of the executive board of the International wushu federation.
Another set of seven SEA Games gold medal winners in combat event will, most-likely, be dispatched to carry the country’s colors in the Sanda World Cup in Melbourne.
All three world-caliber tilts will be held on the dates to be decided later this year.
And so are the World Wushu Championships in Rabat, Morocco, the Asian Wushu Championships in New Delhi and the Asia traditional Wushu championships.
Besides Wong’ gold medal finish in her Taijijian and taijiquan disciplines, other Filipino winners in the last SEA Games were Divine Wally in women’s sanda and Jessie Aligaga, Fortunato Solis, Arnel Mandal and Clemente Tabugala Jr., all in men’s Sanda.
Since its recognition by the Philippine Olympic Committee as a regular member in 1989, the WFP has so far produced 18 world champions, the highest among its some 40 members, including, among others, double world championships winers Samson Co, Rene Catgalan and Benjie Rivera.
Wushu, outside of bowling, has also gifted the country an Olympic gold medal in the person of Willy Wang when the sport was held as a demonstration event in the 2008 Beijing Games.
