On the afternoon of April 11, the 2025 IWUF Wushu Taolu Judges Training Course was officially opened in Pegasus Watertown, Jiangyin, China, with the participation of nearly 60 trainees from 31 countries and regions. This training course is specifically organized by the IWUF as a dedicated event in preparation for the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games (YOG), with the aim of facilitating an exceptional and high-quality wushu competitions at the YOG.
Li Yongqiang, Chair of the IWUF Technical Committee and Vice President of the Chinese Wushu Association, Jin Xiaobing, Chair of the IWUF Judges’ Committee, Vice Chair Sherif Mostafa, Members Marcus Alves, Iwan Kwok, Jennifer Dai Juan Gu and Niek Op't Ende, and Zhu Yifeng, Head of Jiangyin Shengshi Sports Event Co Ltd, Director of the Cultural and Sports Stadium of Jiangyin Pegasus Watertown and representative of the Jiangyin Organizing Committee, and expert instructors Lin Xiaomei, Gao Chulan, Guo Jun Yang, Zhu Dong, Liu Ruqin, Yuan Wenqing, and Liu Qinghua, Yuan Xindong and Zhao Qingjian attended the ceremony.
At the opening ceremony, Chair Jin Xiaobing warmly welcomed the judges trainees from all over the world. He said that the professionalism and judging ability of wushu judges would directly affect the fairness and spectacle of wushu competitions at the YOG. He put forward three key expectations to all participants: first, master the competition rules and techniques in depth to improve judging competence; second, strengthen wushu discipline to ensure fair judgments; third, strengthen exchanges and mutual understanding with an open mind. He hoped that all trainees would successfully complete their studies and make every effort to deliver high-standard officiating for the 2026 YOG wushu competition.
On behalf of the organizer of the training event, Mr. Zhu delivered a welcome speech. He said that it was significant that the global elite judges gathered in Hailan Pegasus Watertown. The hosting of this training course not only demonstrates the trust of the IWUF and the CWA in Hailan Pegasus Watertown, but more importantly represents concrete action to advance the international development and dissemination of wushu. Wushu carries a deep cultural heritage, and he calls for collaborative efforts from all parties to promote the global development of wushu.
This 5-day training course, through theoretical lectures, technical training, case studies and other forms, focuses on the YOG wushu competition events. It also includes in-depth analysis of the evaluation of quality of movements and overall performance of the Third International Wushu Competition Routines of changquan, gunshu, taijiquan and taijishan, and provides authoritative interpretations of the core points of the 2024 International Wushu Taolu Competition Rules and Judging Methods, so as to help the judges to consolidate and strengthen their understanding and implementation of the rules.
