50,000 spectators? Really?
Major six-day martial event at Ricoh
10th annual World Wushu Championships opening ceremony Saturday night
And everybody was kung fu fighting, so the old '70s song goes, and that's exactly what they'll be doing over the next few days at Ricoh Coliseum as a major, international martial arts event is set to take place.

Well, actually, it won't only be fighting, as there is also a non-fighting choreographed forms component that is part of the 10th Annual World Wushu Championships, which kicks off at the coliseum on Saturday, Oct. 24 with what organizers are promising to be a spectacular opening ceremonies from 7 to 10 p.m.

Competition then runs from Sunday to Thursday.

Organizers are expecting more than 50,000 spectators to take in the proceedings, which are expected to attract more than 1,500 athletes from more than 85 countries.

Saturday night's opening ceremonies will feature select entertainment artists and martial arts masters with the highlight of the evening a showcase by China's official Wushu performance troupe, a team of hand selected performers chosen from the elite medal winners of the 2009 All China Games.

Besides the competition, the adjacent Direct Energy Centre will be home to an audience friendly Wushu expo including a public display of training by the athletes as well as interactive booths with a special exhibit of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo in addition to a Wushu museum and cultural exhibit from China.

For more info or tickets, visit www.wushucanada.com
Late MEA clearance ousts India from World Wushu Championship
STAFF WRITER 15:14 HRS IST

Bhopal, Oct 21 (PTI) A delayed tour clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs has prevented 17 Indian players from competing in the 10th World Wushu Championship starting October 24 in Toronto.

"The Indian contingent got the MEA clearance yesterday and the hard copy of it is expected to reach our office today," Wushu Association of India (WAI) Secretary Manish Kakkad told PTI from Lucknow.

"We sought the MEA clearance two months back. Moreover, we can't get visas and tickets in two days adding that at least 5-10 days are needed for this work," he said.

"It was not so easy to complete these formalities in a short period, especially when trips are taken to US and Canada. We have missed a very important event because of the delay in the MEA clearance," Kakkad added.

He said that 17 players, four coaches and two technical staff were scheduled to go to Canada.
Delay forces Wushu Team to miss tour
Submitted by Jatin Malhotra on Wed, 10/21/2009 - 14:04.

World Wushu ChampionshipIndia’s challenge in the 10th World Wushu Championship slated to be held in Toronto from October 24 ended even before it had begun. A delay in permission to the 14-member contingent to participate in the event, forced the team to miss the event.

The Wushu Association of India had sought clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs for the tour about a couple of months ago but approval came on Tuesday, just four days before the world championship. The delay has made it virtually impossible for the association to arrange for visa and book seats in flights to Toronto.

Manish Kakkad, secretary of the association, said that the travel agent expressed inability to arrange for visa in such a short time.

“Though the approval letter from MEA was received on Tuesday, other requirements for the journey to Toronto including visa and tickets could not be arranged. Which is why the tour for the World Championship has been cancelled,” he said.

The national squad for the championship included Gangapati Chanu, silver medallist of the last event held in Beijing in 2007 and Bimoljeet Singh, bronze medallist in Doha (2006) Asian Games.

The Union Sports Ministry had claimed to have accorded priority status to the sport following success of Bimoljeet Singh in Doha. The players had been camping at the Central Regional Centre of SAI here since September 5.
It's a shame the jiayo forum is down now.