What is Wushu?
If you’re a fan of Team Canada, you’re likely a little familiar with most sports in which Canadian athletes will compete at the Dakar 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games.
But there is one sport that might be new to you: wushu.
This Chinese martial art has never been officially included at the Olympic Games or Pan American Games or Youth Olympic Games before.
So what is wushu?
Wushu has a long history that can be traced back 5000 years. Over time, it has developed to feature numerous distinct styles and systems.
Traditional wushu is commonly known as kung fu. At its core, it is a method of combat attack and defence. The practice of traditional wushu is intended to preserve the principles, methods, and legacies of previous generations that developed the art for self-defence and survival.
Sport wushu is what will be included at Dakar 2026. Sport wushu has also been included at the 2022 and 2025 World Games, the 2017 and 2021 Summer World University Games, and every edition of the Asian Games since 1990.
There are two forms of sport wushu: taolu and sanda. Taolu is practiced as choreographed routines featuring hand techniques, leg techniques, jumps, stances, footwork, and balances. Sanda is a combat sport that involves punching, kicking, throwing, wrestling, and defensive techniques.
Only the taolu form of wushu will be included at Dakar 2026.
There are more than a dozen categories of taolu events. Some of these use bare-handed techniques, some are performed with weapons. A panel of judges evaluates each routine for the quality of movements, overall performance, and the degree of difficulty demonstrated.
At Dakar 2026, there will be two taolu events for each gender: taijiquan combined (taijiquan & taijishan) and changquan combined (changquan & gunshu).
Taijiquan is what you might know as tai chi, though the latter is more associated with the wellness aspects of the art than the competitive aspects. Taijiquan is characterized by its slow and graceful motions that at times are broken up by explosive bursts of force.
Taijishan takes the movements and flow of taijiquan and adds techniques showcasing a folding fan. Some of these techniques involve sharp, audible fan snaps and dynamic postures.
Changquan is a faster style featuring open and expanded postures. Aerial and acrobatic techniques help create excitement in these routines.
Gunshu routines are likened to a heavy rainstorm for the way athletes use a staff to showcase techniques such as chopping, butting, sweeping, smashing, and rotating. Offensive and defensive techniques are characterized by quick and heavy movements.
WushuCanada is the National Sports Organization and can help you locate a club in Canada if you’d like to give wushu a try.
The International Wushu Federation (IWUF) was established in 1990 and now has 164 member organizations across five continents. The 1st World Wushu Championships were held in 1991. The IWUF was officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 2002.
Wushu tournaments were held in conjunction with, though not officially part of, the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and Nanjing 2014 Summer Youth Olympic Games.
In 2015, wushu was shortlisted as an additional sport for Tokyo 2020 but didn’t make the final cut a year later. In 2020 it was approved as an official sport for Dakar 2026.
Meet Team Canada for the Dakar 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games
Team Canada will have one wushu athlete at Dakar 2026. Miranda Wei will compete in women’s taijiquan combined. At the 5th World Taijiquan Championships in April 2026, Wei won two gold and one bronze.
