Macao earned three medals at this year’s 48th Sports Chanbara World Championship, which was held on 15 December in Tokyo, Japan. The winners included all three representatives from Macao: Tam Kai Sang, who won a bronze medal in the one-handed longsword event (7-10 kyu), Fung Kwong Lam, who clinched a silver medal in two handed longsword (6-10 kyu), and Desmond Lo, who bagged bronze in short sword (3-4 kyu).
The Macao contestants were up against more than 800 other competitors from over 19 countries and territories.
Stephen Mui, the founder of the Macau Sports Chanbara Association, said “these three medals represent Macao’s good performance at the Sports Chanbara World Championships, demonstrating our growing competitiveness in this martial arts and sports at the international level.” Mui told Macao News that he hopes “our recent success at the World Championships will inspire more people to take up this sport and join our Macao team.”
The team’s win in Tokyo follows its success during the Sports Chanbara Asian Championships in Hong Kong on 5 May, which saw three representatives clinch medals, including Tam Kai Sang (bronze in kodachi, 5-10 kyu), Fong Kwong Lam (silver in long sword freestyle open, and silver in two hand longsword, 5-10 kyu), Wong Ngou Chai (bronze in twin sword open) and Kihon Dousa (silver in basic moves, 1-3 kyu).
[See more: Why is Macao so good at Wushu?]
Although sports chanbara is still in its nascent stages in the SAR, Mui notes that Chanbara is beginning to make inroads in the city, with the local association having already contacted schools to launch chanbara programs in 2025.
As for the future, Mui said the team is looking to set up “an even stronger squad” in preparation for next year’s World Championship, which will take place in Yokosuka City, Japan on 23 November.
Also known as spochan, sports chanbara is a relatively new sport that was developed in Japan in the 1970s. The martial arts incorporates elements of traditional Japanese sword-fighting, although it safeguards players’ safety through the use of soft sticks called airsoft swords.
Martial art-related sports are quite popular in Macao, especially ones that deal with Chinese wushu. Over the years, the city has earned a substantial number of medals, cultivating talents such as Li Yi.
