2014 Beijing International Kung Fu Championships: Mega-Success!
These are slide shows. Click on the "PLAY" button, upper left corner of the cover photo to start each series. There are around 200 photos here!
(A story can be found at the bottom of this page.)
(A story can be found at the bottom of this page.)
Added below August 2nd... a mix of action photos, friends and photos of "artistic" merit.
2014 Beijing World Kung Fu Championship &
4th Beijing International Wushu Culture Exchange
Beijing Style!
Kung Fu Dream in Beijing? Naaa – It’s a reality here…
July 29, 2014 – Beijing
The After Championship Banquet was held Monday, July 28, 2014, from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm to whenever(!) in the Changping District of Beijing.
There are hundreds of Kung Fu competitions large and small around the world every year, but Beijing style is something splendid beyond belief until it’s been experienced especially when it comes to the Kung Fu world.
Last night I went to the after tournament banquet and it was mind boggling. There were the luminaries of the Kung Fu world from the four corners of the earth, represented by all age groups, and a HUGE number of nationalities and ethnic groups. To say it was like a mini U.N. would not be fair because it was a lot better than the U.N. at its best because everyone got along well. Whatever differences existed out there in the “real world” were put aside for this event and it was just fun, a word and emotion people seem to forget about too often in today’s highly competitive world. Chinese emphasize harmony and this amazing banquet was truly harmonious – a bright happy healthy spot of sunshine in a world beset with gathering clouds.
At this competition there were more than 300 teams from 60 countries and innumerable regions of the five continents, as well as 26 Chinese provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities adding up to more than 10 thousands martial arts practitioners participating in this now legendary event.
Besides the people, the short speeches, awards, demonstrations and so on, it must be mentioned that a “banquet” in Beijing is going to be really, really incredible. The variety of absolutely totally delicious foods is beyond my ability to describe but ranged from roast duck, chicken, beef, fish, salads of all manner too good to capture with words, and so many other dishes it would take a book just to list. Beer and Chinese white wine flowed endlessly and the happy conversations, celebrations, networking, photo-taking and so on bubbled along pleasantly for several hours. Though of course all my Muslim friends were abstaining it didn’t slow down their contagiously hilarious fun! It was one of those parties you just don’t want to end. Many people went to Chinese Karaokes (called “KTVs” in China) after the party. Why can’t the “real world” be more like the Kung Fu World? It had been three pretty hot days of amazing action and really hard work. So the party was just what everyone needs sometimes – a chance to relax, smile, laugh and enjoy the beauty of life – but on a truly grand scale: Beijing style!
Oh! Anyone who doesn’t walk around and schmooze at a party like this is missing most of the fun. People are relaxed and friendly. This is the perfect opportunity for anyone and everyone to network and build new relationships that can last a lifetime.
FLASHBACK 3 DAYS
Day 1: July 26, 2014 - 9:00 am – Palpable electric forces sizzled through the thousands of people jamming the Changping Stadium Saturday July, 26 for the 4th Beijing World Cup Championship. Though temperatures outside were in the upper eighties and rising, inside it was relatively cool in spite of the crowds. Perhaps it was the serenity of the more mature competitors; maybe it was the structure of the stadium. Certainly the planning and organization, the army of volunteers and the friendly security staff all helped a lot.
These feelings were heightened by the fact that each year this competition keeps getting better in terms of scale and fanfare, as well as the competitors skill levels.
On this day representatives of all five continents of the world gathered here to compete for the honor of being recognized as the Champion in one of China’s most prestigious Kung Fu competitions. In many cases there several teams from individual countries like Russia, Japan, Malaysia and India, not to mention different teams from Hong Kong, Macao, Hong Kong and Singapore. Competitors came from as far as Venezuela, Chile, and Columbia, Australia and the U.S. Most of the Central Asian nations sent teams as did most Asian countries. Mongolians always do very well, and figure prominently in all fighting competitions in Asia. And there was the Bassem Combat Club from Tunisia, and on, and on and on! There were even a few places I had to google to figure out where they were.
(Quiz question: Where are Altai, and Astana? Of course I know where Sibu and Sarawak are because I lived in Malaysia for years… Ans: Altai is Central Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan come together and is a federal republic of Russia, and Astana is in Kazakhstan. In case you don’t know Tunisia is the northernmost country in Africa and the smallest country in the Maghreb region with a population around 11 million. Oops, back to the World Championships!)
Surprisingly only one American team showed up (Shi Deru Shaolin Institute, headquartered in Atlanta), but they were great guys (!) led Grand Master Shi Deru (aka, Shawn Liu Xiangyang), founder and CEO of L.I.U. International Shaolin Institute in the U.S. (Shi Deru is a true legend in the Kung Fu world.)
Not surprisingly there were a huge, HUGE number of Chinese Kung Fu Associations and clubs (pages 40 – 77 of the thick program book). Of course Jing Wu School was there, and Xian Physical Education University.
Probably the largest foreign presence was the Kung-Fu Federation of Russia, boosted by several Russian regional groups. The largest of the Central Asia groups was the Azerbaijan Team. The Armenian Kungfu Federation did very well in Sanda, and the fabulous Ukrainian team was magnificent in Taolu. The ever charming gentlemen from the Indian Kung Fu Federation were back again as well and representatives of Spain, Italy and dozens more countries were there. (Oh! Why can’t I have a few clones to help me?!?!)
The diversity of the opening ceremony was breathtaking and flowed like clockwork with dizzying mass synchronous performances of Kung Fu by different groups of over a thousand youths, whose did their masters and the choreographers proud.
Officially organized by the Chinese Wushu Association this was a masterpiece event. Then, as per tradition at least in Asia, representatives of the Chinese Wushu Association, other Kung Fu Associations from around the world, and the government made inspiring speeches welcoming and encouraging all.
All said and done, it was time for a break and lunch, with the competitions to commence thereafter.
At 2:00 pm the competition started with the best of the best in the world showing their skills in Taolu and Sanda, Shuai Jiao (Chinese wrestling/Judo) and Taekwondo. At 5:30 there was a break till seven when the action recommenced till nearly 10.
One of the most beautiful Tai Ji Taolu was by Wudang Mountain’s Master Zhang Wen Qing. He was also always agreeable for some pushing hands practice and willing to demonstrate some other useful skills like acupressure. Being a photogenic (handsome and wise looking) kind guy he was also charming and agreeable when so many people asked for photos with him.
Of the foreign groups the Ukrainian Taolu team captured everyone’s attention with their perfection of form and beautiful interpretation of techniques. They specialize in traditional Kung Fu forms.
For me this competition was especially fun because I’d made pretty many friends at this competition in previous years, including members of the Ukrainian, Azerbaijani, Armenian, Russian, Indian, American teams, and of course a lot of Chinese teams, many of who were back again. Though naturally Shaolin School of Beijing did very well – with a thousand entrants(!); fighters from Xian Physical Education University were awesome, and of course I have to salute all my local Changping (district of Beijing) teams including Ping Tian Hu Boxing Club, Changping Wrestling Kung Fu Base, Changping Hui Long Guan Yu Jie Wu Shu Gallery, and Changping Yi Ru Club).
Judging
First of all, let there be no doubt the judging throughout this competition was first rate. But that said, it’s a pretty difficult or sometimes impossible job. I’ll give the reader an example. There was a three, two minute round match between young men of different countries. It looked to me like “A” lost rounds one and two, but won round three. However, my translator friend told me that he scored more points in round one, though it didn’t look that way to me. The win was awarded to “B” which seemed right to me. But, after the match “A’s” coach protested the decision, which is understandable if he really got more points in Round1. This is also complicated by the fact that scoring points is only one thing as points can be deducted for a variety of infractions. A’s coach was finally advised to lodge a protest. Who is to blame? No one really. Everyone did their job right. This kind of dispute however is one reason it takes time after an international event to post final results, as some decisions need to be reviewed before final decisions can be made.
Making friends
Though final scores have yet to be tallied, as foreign Sanda teams went, the Azerbaijan Team did extremely well, winning all their bouts at least during the first day and nearly all the final day. They were just amazing, showcasing masterful integration of kickboxing and wrestling skills. Simultaneously they were cool – relaxed – controlled, and seemed to really enjoy it all. This is not too surprising. Last year they did very, very well too. I spent a lot of time with this team last year and this year. I also made friends with the Albanian team. They’re friendly masterful guys and won some seriously hard fought matches for gold medal wins. Hats off to them! And what can be said about the Russian Taolu and Sanda Teams? Awesome! I believe they were in many sectors grand winners in this Championships.
During the 1970s and 1980s I fought in more than 400 Judo, Karate, and Taekwondo tournaments around the U.S. I always made a lot of friends and was lucky; I never got injured beyond the ordinary bruises, cracked ribs, chipped bones, busted lips, dislocations, broken nose, etc. But, that’s all trivial and part of the game. None of that stuff ever seemed to matter as I always had a good time and made lots of friends (though a few times I may have looked a little “rough” going to school or university classes the next day). Anyways, these days photographing a large tournament I feel right at home and wish everyone “good luck!” I smile at and talk with everyone I can, learn as much as I can, collect as many name cards as I can and make as many new friends as I can. It’s all good fun for me! I can understand fighters. They’re the most real people around. There’s no B.S. in the fight game. You’ve got it or you don’t. Almost everyone understands it doesn't really matter if you win or lose as long as you fight hard, keep your cool, keep on coming and never give up.
Starting at 10:00 pm on the final two days they had some real slam, bang full-contact MMA style matches. I said “Hi” to Master Fu as he sat down ring-side for the action. Though my Chinese isn’t very good I complimented him on the excellent championships and then inquired if he’d like to get into the ring too. Smiling, he asked me if I’d like to get into the ring with him. I laughed and politely declined. I’m not crazy!
Final Results
I’m currently waiting for posting of official results.
But… at the After Championships Banquet I noticed many teams getting special (huge!) team trophies: Chinese, Russian, Azerbaijani, Ukrainian and Albanian teams and many others. Of the foreign Taolu teams I have to say the Ukrainians did extraordinarily well, winning some 12 Gold Medals, 16 or 17 Silver and another 10 Bronze Medals, though someone told me Russian teams got the largest number of medals among the foreign teams.
In my opinion, everyone who was there was a winner. As for the fighters - they did themselves, their countries and the Kung Fu world proud. Certainly Russian Coach Kamil Rabadanov (President of the Russian Kung Fu Federation and Chairman of Kung Fu Full Committee of International Kung Fu Federation) deserves enormous credit as does Azerbaijani Coach and President of Azerbaijan Kung Fu Federation Barat Israfilov. Their fighters were absolutely world-class (and I gotta add friendly good sportspeople too!).
Kung Fu Masters of the World!
Please…! Spend some more time in Beijing after the competition…!
After the Banquet most teams just fly off back home which makes no sense to me because Beijing really is a city worth spending some time.
This year the day after the Banquet I ran into some members of one of the Malaysian teams a couple of times, and also spent a few days with the Ukrainian Team that wanted to tour Beijing a bit. Being a young (and very successful) team they were very fun to hang out with. Some of them went swimming in one of the nearby beautiful lakes with me, some went sight-seeing and others shopping during these few days. We all ate together several times and got got to know each other well. Sports always have been one of, if not the best way for people to get to know each other.
From previous years I already knew Ukrainian Coaches Matulevskyi Mykola (Vice-President International Kung Fu Federation, President of the European Kung Fu Federation and Kung Fu Grand Master – I call him “Niko” by the way – he’s one year younger than me so I guess it’s OK…) and his lovely wife Solodylina Liudmyla (Taolu Expert Committee Director IKFF, Vice-President European Kung Fu Federation and Kung Fu Grand Master). During these past three past days I also found out a bit of Liudmyla’s family story and how their team got to be so great. It turns out her father was a famous gymnastic coach in Ukraine that many years ago was invited to China to teach. In exchange the Chinese sent Kung Fu masters to Ukraine, who trained Niko and Liudmyla when they were very young. Thus were the seeds sown that have become a legendary Kung Fu family and the greatest school of Kung Fu in Kiev! Their son Constantine, in addition to being a Master of several styles of Chinese Kung Fu is also a doctor of western medicine and practitioner of Korean traditional medicine. I had an injury about six weeks ago and he gave me an acupressure style massage which helped. I’m all good now! Thanks Constantine!
Spending time with their team was heart-warming. I've lived in China for five years and have many close friends here; like a huge family. The Ukrainian team also gave me that warm glow of a family feeling. World peace through sports? I think it’s possible.
When mom and dad were passing out the medals to their young team members a couple of days after the competition at their hotel, the pile of medals was just enormous and glittered and sparkled like a legendary treasure trove. Seeing the joy in the youngsters eyes as they received their rewards for years of extreme discipline and hard work was really, wow... I just can’t describe it.
It was a beautiful competition, from the beginning to after the end.
The Fight Within
Above I mentioned that I thought the judging I saw was quite good. I didn’t always agree with the judges and referees, but one person doesn’t see as much as five and it’s really impossible even for five pairs of eyes to always make the right decisions. (One can’t judge winners and losers from my photos either. I missed too many great shots and this is only a tiny sampling of what actually happened in different events.)
Having fought in a lot of tournaments and having talked with quite a number of competitors before and after this competition I have to note I think attitude makes an enormous and gigantic difference in a person’s performance. Before fighting I heard a few (three or four) competitors predicting that they would be judged unfairly because they are “not Chinese.” With all due respect I don’t think the Chinese are biased against any national group. But, I do think that if someone believes they will lose, they probably will lose. Asians in general and Chinese in particular are sensitive people and can definitely pick up other people’s feelings. To win at this level of international competition one has to really believe they are a winner – and plan on winning by such a huge margin even the worst judges in the world can’t cheat them of their win – one needs absolute confidence even when there is real nasty bias, which in this competition I don’t think there was.
Coincidentally, after the Championship Constantine told me a story from his country. Once upon a time there was a very strong brave young man. He went in search of a dragon to slay and finally found one in a cave sitting on a vast treasure. As he came in for the kill he looked into the dragons old eyes and saw himself looking back.
What does this story mean? I don’t know, but it just seemed to fit in nicely here.
Organizers
This event was hosted by Chinese Wushu Association, supported by Beijing Wushu Institute and Beijing Municipal Sports Competition Management Center, co-organized by International Kungfu Federation, Global Kungfu Website, Beijing Shaolin Martial Arts School, China International Taichi Fist Association, Shandong Taichi Culture Development Travel Company, the Huilongguan regional offices of Changping district and Beijing Changping Stadium Management Center.
In brief however this international event is really the brainchild of legendary Master Fu Biao of the Beijing Shaolin Martial Arts School who has been called by some the “Deng Xiaoping of the martial arts world in China,” by virtue of his excellent human relations, organizational skills and understanding of the deeper meanings of “Kung Fu.” His record of achievements are not limited to the martial arts world as he is also a U.N. Representative, poet, philosopher, calligrapher, international business executive and from rumors I’ve heard… a great fighter too!
Conclusions:
1. The 2014 Beijing World Kung Fu Championship was bigger and better than ever.
2. Everybody performed brilliantly – and all participants are winners in my book.
3. The quality of fighting increased a lot from previous years.
4. The after competition Banquet was outta-this-world.
5. I hope next year more people stick around after the competition and enjoy the beauty and wonder of Beijing!
6. I haven’t seen the final results yet, but will link to them when they’re on-line.
Not the end!
The After Championship Banquet was held Monday, July 28, 2014, from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm to whenever(!) in the Changping District of Beijing.
There are hundreds of Kung Fu competitions large and small around the world every year, but Beijing style is something splendid beyond belief until it’s been experienced especially when it comes to the Kung Fu world.
Last night I went to the after tournament banquet and it was mind boggling. There were the luminaries of the Kung Fu world from the four corners of the earth, represented by all age groups, and a HUGE number of nationalities and ethnic groups. To say it was like a mini U.N. would not be fair because it was a lot better than the U.N. at its best because everyone got along well. Whatever differences existed out there in the “real world” were put aside for this event and it was just fun, a word and emotion people seem to forget about too often in today’s highly competitive world. Chinese emphasize harmony and this amazing banquet was truly harmonious – a bright happy healthy spot of sunshine in a world beset with gathering clouds.
At this competition there were more than 300 teams from 60 countries and innumerable regions of the five continents, as well as 26 Chinese provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities adding up to more than 10 thousands martial arts practitioners participating in this now legendary event.
Besides the people, the short speeches, awards, demonstrations and so on, it must be mentioned that a “banquet” in Beijing is going to be really, really incredible. The variety of absolutely totally delicious foods is beyond my ability to describe but ranged from roast duck, chicken, beef, fish, salads of all manner too good to capture with words, and so many other dishes it would take a book just to list. Beer and Chinese white wine flowed endlessly and the happy conversations, celebrations, networking, photo-taking and so on bubbled along pleasantly for several hours. Though of course all my Muslim friends were abstaining it didn’t slow down their contagiously hilarious fun! It was one of those parties you just don’t want to end. Many people went to Chinese Karaokes (called “KTVs” in China) after the party. Why can’t the “real world” be more like the Kung Fu World? It had been three pretty hot days of amazing action and really hard work. So the party was just what everyone needs sometimes – a chance to relax, smile, laugh and enjoy the beauty of life – but on a truly grand scale: Beijing style!
Oh! Anyone who doesn’t walk around and schmooze at a party like this is missing most of the fun. People are relaxed and friendly. This is the perfect opportunity for anyone and everyone to network and build new relationships that can last a lifetime.
FLASHBACK 3 DAYS
Day 1: July 26, 2014 - 9:00 am – Palpable electric forces sizzled through the thousands of people jamming the Changping Stadium Saturday July, 26 for the 4th Beijing World Cup Championship. Though temperatures outside were in the upper eighties and rising, inside it was relatively cool in spite of the crowds. Perhaps it was the serenity of the more mature competitors; maybe it was the structure of the stadium. Certainly the planning and organization, the army of volunteers and the friendly security staff all helped a lot.
These feelings were heightened by the fact that each year this competition keeps getting better in terms of scale and fanfare, as well as the competitors skill levels.
On this day representatives of all five continents of the world gathered here to compete for the honor of being recognized as the Champion in one of China’s most prestigious Kung Fu competitions. In many cases there several teams from individual countries like Russia, Japan, Malaysia and India, not to mention different teams from Hong Kong, Macao, Hong Kong and Singapore. Competitors came from as far as Venezuela, Chile, and Columbia, Australia and the U.S. Most of the Central Asian nations sent teams as did most Asian countries. Mongolians always do very well, and figure prominently in all fighting competitions in Asia. And there was the Bassem Combat Club from Tunisia, and on, and on and on! There were even a few places I had to google to figure out where they were.
(Quiz question: Where are Altai, and Astana? Of course I know where Sibu and Sarawak are because I lived in Malaysia for years… Ans: Altai is Central Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan come together and is a federal republic of Russia, and Astana is in Kazakhstan. In case you don’t know Tunisia is the northernmost country in Africa and the smallest country in the Maghreb region with a population around 11 million. Oops, back to the World Championships!)
Surprisingly only one American team showed up (Shi Deru Shaolin Institute, headquartered in Atlanta), but they were great guys (!) led Grand Master Shi Deru (aka, Shawn Liu Xiangyang), founder and CEO of L.I.U. International Shaolin Institute in the U.S. (Shi Deru is a true legend in the Kung Fu world.)
Not surprisingly there were a huge, HUGE number of Chinese Kung Fu Associations and clubs (pages 40 – 77 of the thick program book). Of course Jing Wu School was there, and Xian Physical Education University.
Probably the largest foreign presence was the Kung-Fu Federation of Russia, boosted by several Russian regional groups. The largest of the Central Asia groups was the Azerbaijan Team. The Armenian Kungfu Federation did very well in Sanda, and the fabulous Ukrainian team was magnificent in Taolu. The ever charming gentlemen from the Indian Kung Fu Federation were back again as well and representatives of Spain, Italy and dozens more countries were there. (Oh! Why can’t I have a few clones to help me?!?!)
The diversity of the opening ceremony was breathtaking and flowed like clockwork with dizzying mass synchronous performances of Kung Fu by different groups of over a thousand youths, whose did their masters and the choreographers proud.
Officially organized by the Chinese Wushu Association this was a masterpiece event. Then, as per tradition at least in Asia, representatives of the Chinese Wushu Association, other Kung Fu Associations from around the world, and the government made inspiring speeches welcoming and encouraging all.
All said and done, it was time for a break and lunch, with the competitions to commence thereafter.
At 2:00 pm the competition started with the best of the best in the world showing their skills in Taolu and Sanda, Shuai Jiao (Chinese wrestling/Judo) and Taekwondo. At 5:30 there was a break till seven when the action recommenced till nearly 10.
One of the most beautiful Tai Ji Taolu was by Wudang Mountain’s Master Zhang Wen Qing. He was also always agreeable for some pushing hands practice and willing to demonstrate some other useful skills like acupressure. Being a photogenic (handsome and wise looking) kind guy he was also charming and agreeable when so many people asked for photos with him.
Of the foreign groups the Ukrainian Taolu team captured everyone’s attention with their perfection of form and beautiful interpretation of techniques. They specialize in traditional Kung Fu forms.
For me this competition was especially fun because I’d made pretty many friends at this competition in previous years, including members of the Ukrainian, Azerbaijani, Armenian, Russian, Indian, American teams, and of course a lot of Chinese teams, many of who were back again. Though naturally Shaolin School of Beijing did very well – with a thousand entrants(!); fighters from Xian Physical Education University were awesome, and of course I have to salute all my local Changping (district of Beijing) teams including Ping Tian Hu Boxing Club, Changping Wrestling Kung Fu Base, Changping Hui Long Guan Yu Jie Wu Shu Gallery, and Changping Yi Ru Club).
Judging
First of all, let there be no doubt the judging throughout this competition was first rate. But that said, it’s a pretty difficult or sometimes impossible job. I’ll give the reader an example. There was a three, two minute round match between young men of different countries. It looked to me like “A” lost rounds one and two, but won round three. However, my translator friend told me that he scored more points in round one, though it didn’t look that way to me. The win was awarded to “B” which seemed right to me. But, after the match “A’s” coach protested the decision, which is understandable if he really got more points in Round1. This is also complicated by the fact that scoring points is only one thing as points can be deducted for a variety of infractions. A’s coach was finally advised to lodge a protest. Who is to blame? No one really. Everyone did their job right. This kind of dispute however is one reason it takes time after an international event to post final results, as some decisions need to be reviewed before final decisions can be made.
Making friends
Though final scores have yet to be tallied, as foreign Sanda teams went, the Azerbaijan Team did extremely well, winning all their bouts at least during the first day and nearly all the final day. They were just amazing, showcasing masterful integration of kickboxing and wrestling skills. Simultaneously they were cool – relaxed – controlled, and seemed to really enjoy it all. This is not too surprising. Last year they did very, very well too. I spent a lot of time with this team last year and this year. I also made friends with the Albanian team. They’re friendly masterful guys and won some seriously hard fought matches for gold medal wins. Hats off to them! And what can be said about the Russian Taolu and Sanda Teams? Awesome! I believe they were in many sectors grand winners in this Championships.
During the 1970s and 1980s I fought in more than 400 Judo, Karate, and Taekwondo tournaments around the U.S. I always made a lot of friends and was lucky; I never got injured beyond the ordinary bruises, cracked ribs, chipped bones, busted lips, dislocations, broken nose, etc. But, that’s all trivial and part of the game. None of that stuff ever seemed to matter as I always had a good time and made lots of friends (though a few times I may have looked a little “rough” going to school or university classes the next day). Anyways, these days photographing a large tournament I feel right at home and wish everyone “good luck!” I smile at and talk with everyone I can, learn as much as I can, collect as many name cards as I can and make as many new friends as I can. It’s all good fun for me! I can understand fighters. They’re the most real people around. There’s no B.S. in the fight game. You’ve got it or you don’t. Almost everyone understands it doesn't really matter if you win or lose as long as you fight hard, keep your cool, keep on coming and never give up.
Starting at 10:00 pm on the final two days they had some real slam, bang full-contact MMA style matches. I said “Hi” to Master Fu as he sat down ring-side for the action. Though my Chinese isn’t very good I complimented him on the excellent championships and then inquired if he’d like to get into the ring too. Smiling, he asked me if I’d like to get into the ring with him. I laughed and politely declined. I’m not crazy!
Final Results
I’m currently waiting for posting of official results.
But… at the After Championships Banquet I noticed many teams getting special (huge!) team trophies: Chinese, Russian, Azerbaijani, Ukrainian and Albanian teams and many others. Of the foreign Taolu teams I have to say the Ukrainians did extraordinarily well, winning some 12 Gold Medals, 16 or 17 Silver and another 10 Bronze Medals, though someone told me Russian teams got the largest number of medals among the foreign teams.
In my opinion, everyone who was there was a winner. As for the fighters - they did themselves, their countries and the Kung Fu world proud. Certainly Russian Coach Kamil Rabadanov (President of the Russian Kung Fu Federation and Chairman of Kung Fu Full Committee of International Kung Fu Federation) deserves enormous credit as does Azerbaijani Coach and President of Azerbaijan Kung Fu Federation Barat Israfilov. Their fighters were absolutely world-class (and I gotta add friendly good sportspeople too!).
Kung Fu Masters of the World!
Please…! Spend some more time in Beijing after the competition…!
After the Banquet most teams just fly off back home which makes no sense to me because Beijing really is a city worth spending some time.
This year the day after the Banquet I ran into some members of one of the Malaysian teams a couple of times, and also spent a few days with the Ukrainian Team that wanted to tour Beijing a bit. Being a young (and very successful) team they were very fun to hang out with. Some of them went swimming in one of the nearby beautiful lakes with me, some went sight-seeing and others shopping during these few days. We all ate together several times and got got to know each other well. Sports always have been one of, if not the best way for people to get to know each other.
From previous years I already knew Ukrainian Coaches Matulevskyi Mykola (Vice-President International Kung Fu Federation, President of the European Kung Fu Federation and Kung Fu Grand Master – I call him “Niko” by the way – he’s one year younger than me so I guess it’s OK…) and his lovely wife Solodylina Liudmyla (Taolu Expert Committee Director IKFF, Vice-President European Kung Fu Federation and Kung Fu Grand Master). During these past three past days I also found out a bit of Liudmyla’s family story and how their team got to be so great. It turns out her father was a famous gymnastic coach in Ukraine that many years ago was invited to China to teach. In exchange the Chinese sent Kung Fu masters to Ukraine, who trained Niko and Liudmyla when they were very young. Thus were the seeds sown that have become a legendary Kung Fu family and the greatest school of Kung Fu in Kiev! Their son Constantine, in addition to being a Master of several styles of Chinese Kung Fu is also a doctor of western medicine and practitioner of Korean traditional medicine. I had an injury about six weeks ago and he gave me an acupressure style massage which helped. I’m all good now! Thanks Constantine!
Spending time with their team was heart-warming. I've lived in China for five years and have many close friends here; like a huge family. The Ukrainian team also gave me that warm glow of a family feeling. World peace through sports? I think it’s possible.
When mom and dad were passing out the medals to their young team members a couple of days after the competition at their hotel, the pile of medals was just enormous and glittered and sparkled like a legendary treasure trove. Seeing the joy in the youngsters eyes as they received their rewards for years of extreme discipline and hard work was really, wow... I just can’t describe it.
It was a beautiful competition, from the beginning to after the end.
The Fight Within
Above I mentioned that I thought the judging I saw was quite good. I didn’t always agree with the judges and referees, but one person doesn’t see as much as five and it’s really impossible even for five pairs of eyes to always make the right decisions. (One can’t judge winners and losers from my photos either. I missed too many great shots and this is only a tiny sampling of what actually happened in different events.)
Having fought in a lot of tournaments and having talked with quite a number of competitors before and after this competition I have to note I think attitude makes an enormous and gigantic difference in a person’s performance. Before fighting I heard a few (three or four) competitors predicting that they would be judged unfairly because they are “not Chinese.” With all due respect I don’t think the Chinese are biased against any national group. But, I do think that if someone believes they will lose, they probably will lose. Asians in general and Chinese in particular are sensitive people and can definitely pick up other people’s feelings. To win at this level of international competition one has to really believe they are a winner – and plan on winning by such a huge margin even the worst judges in the world can’t cheat them of their win – one needs absolute confidence even when there is real nasty bias, which in this competition I don’t think there was.
Coincidentally, after the Championship Constantine told me a story from his country. Once upon a time there was a very strong brave young man. He went in search of a dragon to slay and finally found one in a cave sitting on a vast treasure. As he came in for the kill he looked into the dragons old eyes and saw himself looking back.
What does this story mean? I don’t know, but it just seemed to fit in nicely here.
Organizers
This event was hosted by Chinese Wushu Association, supported by Beijing Wushu Institute and Beijing Municipal Sports Competition Management Center, co-organized by International Kungfu Federation, Global Kungfu Website, Beijing Shaolin Martial Arts School, China International Taichi Fist Association, Shandong Taichi Culture Development Travel Company, the Huilongguan regional offices of Changping district and Beijing Changping Stadium Management Center.
In brief however this international event is really the brainchild of legendary Master Fu Biao of the Beijing Shaolin Martial Arts School who has been called by some the “Deng Xiaoping of the martial arts world in China,” by virtue of his excellent human relations, organizational skills and understanding of the deeper meanings of “Kung Fu.” His record of achievements are not limited to the martial arts world as he is also a U.N. Representative, poet, philosopher, calligrapher, international business executive and from rumors I’ve heard… a great fighter too!
Conclusions:
1. The 2014 Beijing World Kung Fu Championship was bigger and better than ever.
2. Everybody performed brilliantly – and all participants are winners in my book.
3. The quality of fighting increased a lot from previous years.
4. The after competition Banquet was outta-this-world.
5. I hope next year more people stick around after the competition and enjoy the beauty and wonder of Beijing!
6. I haven’t seen the final results yet, but will link to them when they’re on-line.
Not the end!