World wushu championships in Kazan officially open

The Opening Ceremony of the 14th World Wushu Championships took place in the Gymnastics Centre. Rustam Minnikhanov was the special guest of honor.

World Wushu Championships is held every 2 years since 1991. For the first time ever the event takes place in Russia. Kazan was announced as the host city for the event at the 13th meeting of the IWUF Congress in Jakarta (Indonesia) in 2015, where the previous tournament was held. The Championships comprises 2 disciplines: taolu (a combination of Chinese martial art techniques and movements) and sanda (a contemporary full-contact fighting style). To host the combats of the both disciplines, the venue will be divided into 2 parts. Admission to the tournament is free.

In the run-up to the Opening Ceremony Rustam Minnikhanov had a bilateral meeting with IOC Vice President, IWUF President Yu Zaiqing, who admitted a high preparation level of the event and expressed his confidence that the Kazan championships would become on of the best.

"I warmly welcome you in the Russian Federation, in the capital of Tatarstan, Kazan. It is a great honor for us to host this championships. Today athletes from more than 60 countries are gathered together here. I hope they will like it in Kazan. We are always ready to host wushu competitions of all levels," underlined the President of Tatarstan, according to Tatar-inform information agency.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today we are profoundly honored to see so many wushu masters at the 14 World Wushu Championships. At this very thrilling moment, let me welcome all the guests of the Championships on behalf of the International Wushu Federation. I also would like to express my sincere gratitude to the governance of Kazan for the outstanding level of organisation. To the athletes who've been working their fingers to the bone to earn their berths I would wish to enjoy every moment of it, as you are the  heart of this tournament.

Gleb Muzrukov, President of the Russian Wushu Federation admitted for his part, that wushu is a bright and thrilling sport, which attracts attention of the audience in every city.

Competitions start on September 29 and last till October 3. The official Flag Relay ceremony to the next host of WWC - Shanghai - will be held on the Final Day of the Championships.