Wushu masters and athletes from 19 foreign countries, along with their counterparts from the mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, will participate in the city’s first-ever Wushu Masters Challenge on August 11-14, the Sports Bureau (ID) and Wushu General Association of Macau (WGAM) said on Thursday.
According to a statement released by the two organisers, which hosted a press conference on the event at Macau Tower on Thursday, European countries will make up most of the 19 foreign nations, while some participants will be from Asia, Africa and Oceania. The event will mainly focus on three wushu disciplines, namely dragon and lion dances, taolu and sanda, the statement added.
Most of the event, including four competitions, will take place in Praça do Tap Seac and the nearby Tap Seac Multi-Sports Pavilion, the statement said. In addition to a wushu forum and a parade, there will also be performances and workshops in Largo do Senado and Praça de Amizade and Iao Hon Market Garden over the four days, the statement added.
Speaking to reporters after the press conference, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Alexis Tam Chon Weng said the budget for the “long-awaited” event was around 20 million patacas.
Saying that the event was “excitingly welcomed and supported” by the local sports and tourism sectors, Tam added he believed that the “challenge” will probably become an annual event, which, in his words, will help boost and diversify the city’s tourism.
(Macau News / The Macau Post Daily)
