Martial arts: Lack of cash could cause woes for Whalley
By Matthew Littlewood on Wed, 1 Oct 2008
Whalley (50), a Mandarin teacher at Columba College, said he would have to pay his own way as the sport's New Zealand federation could not afford to subsidise his travel and accommodation costs.
"We tried with the NZOC [New Zealand Olympic Committee] but we didn't have any luck as it was not accepted as an Olympic sport at Beijing this year, and Sparc could not grant us any money as we're not one of the top nine sports," Whalley said.
"I've tried to get in touch with a number of community and private trusts, including Bendigo Valley [sports and charity foundation], but so far we haven't had any success."
Modern wushu is composed of two disciplines: taolu (forms) and sanda (sparring).
Taolu forms are similar to gymnastics and involve martial art patterns and manoeuvres, while sanda is a modern fighting method similar to Chinese boxing.
The tournament is to be held in Shiyan City, Hubei Province, between October 28 and November 3, but Whalley said he would have to cancel his trip if he could not find the funds within the next two weeks.
"I just received an email today asking me to book my tickets, and I've already had to get two weeks' unpaid leave off work to compete in the tournament."
New Zealand Kung-Fu Wushu Federation president Glen Keith said he had put forward several funding applications over the past week.
"It would be disappointing if he [Whalley] was not able to go, but unfortunately these things happen.
It would be great if Sparc were able to pour money into the sport to help increase participation and development.
"We already have the infrastructure, but to take it to the next level we would need better coaching and training resources."
Whalley, who has been involved in the sport for more than 30 years, said it had taught him a "whole new way of thinking".
"From the perspective of a former PE teacher, there's no sport quite like it. It tests both your internal and external co-ordination, and gives you a whole new sense of well-being."
Even if Whalley were not able to compete in the tournament, he hoped to travel to China later this year with a fellow student, Charlie Baxter.
"I've lived in China and hope to go back there to learn from some of the older masters, who only give their information to people who are worth it. They won't pass it on to anyone."