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Portugal Kung Fu & Tai Chi
Championships 2007
Championships 2007
Povoa de Varzim, Portugal
October 4 - 7, 2007
October 4 - 7, 2007
| Campeonato de Kung-Fu e Tai Chi 2007 |
05 a 07 Outubro, 2007 |
There is an old Portuguese saying: "Come to Portugal a stranger,
leave Portugal a friend". That simple saying very much describes my
experience at the 2007 World Kung Fu and Tai Chi Championships
hosted by the IKF International Kung Fu Federation.
The event was held in the beautiful seaside town of Povoa de Varzim,
located in the northern part of Porto. Formerly a fishing village,
Povoa de Varzim is now a cosmopolitan tourist attraction, with
expansive beaches, and a quaint market and shopping district.
Participants of the championships hailed from approximately 15
countries, mostly European. The event was much smaller than all of
us had anticipated, however this enabled everyone to interact on a
more personal level.
The venue, the opening ceremonies, and the event recording and
broadcasting were impressive, however the organization of the
competition was at times chaotic and communication lacking. I had
almost missed my barehands taolu category as the competition
schedule had been revised without communication. Language was a
problem as not everyone could speak Portuguese or even English.
Rules regarding weight of san shou gloves, 1.5 min time limitation for
tai chi, long sleeved dress code, and being automatically entered into
the Master's category for all competitors over the age of 35, were all
topics heavily debated. As this was the first major international event
for this federation, a certain level of chaos was to be expected.
I had the pleasure of making friends with several members of the
teams, particularly from Portugal, Italy, France, Nigeria and the
Netherlands. It is always intriguing to see how passionate and
dedicated people are around the world towards kung fu. We all have
different styles and forms, come from different cultural backgrounds,
and speak different languages. What unites us though, is our
common pursuit of kung fu knowledge and cultivation. I indeed
ventured to Portugal a stranger, not knowing what to expect, and
ended up leaving Portugal with many new friends and wonderful
memories.
Best of luck to the development of this federation and its objective of
worldwide kung fu unity.
leave Portugal a friend". That simple saying very much describes my
experience at the 2007 World Kung Fu and Tai Chi Championships
hosted by the IKF International Kung Fu Federation.
The event was held in the beautiful seaside town of Povoa de Varzim,
located in the northern part of Porto. Formerly a fishing village,
Povoa de Varzim is now a cosmopolitan tourist attraction, with
expansive beaches, and a quaint market and shopping district.
Participants of the championships hailed from approximately 15
countries, mostly European. The event was much smaller than all of
us had anticipated, however this enabled everyone to interact on a
more personal level.
The venue, the opening ceremonies, and the event recording and
broadcasting were impressive, however the organization of the
competition was at times chaotic and communication lacking. I had
almost missed my barehands taolu category as the competition
schedule had been revised without communication. Language was a
problem as not everyone could speak Portuguese or even English.
Rules regarding weight of san shou gloves, 1.5 min time limitation for
tai chi, long sleeved dress code, and being automatically entered into
the Master's category for all competitors over the age of 35, were all
topics heavily debated. As this was the first major international event
for this federation, a certain level of chaos was to be expected.
I had the pleasure of making friends with several members of the
teams, particularly from Portugal, Italy, France, Nigeria and the
Netherlands. It is always intriguing to see how passionate and
dedicated people are around the world towards kung fu. We all have
different styles and forms, come from different cultural backgrounds,
and speak different languages. What unites us though, is our
common pursuit of kung fu knowledge and cultivation. I indeed
ventured to Portugal a stranger, not knowing what to expect, and
ended up leaving Portugal with many new friends and wonderful
memories.
Best of luck to the development of this federation and its objective of
worldwide kung fu unity.
Eric Yao
The IKF International Kung Fu
Federation was founded in 2003 with
its headquarters in Azerbaijan (I had to
look it up on Google Maps, and there it
was, adjacent to Russia, Armenia, Iran
and the Caspian Sea). I met David
Mahmudzadeh, the Chair of the IKF
and found him to be very respectful
and friendly. The IKF's objective of
promoting and fostering the traditional
Chinese martial arts is an admirable
yet ambitious effort. There is yet to be a
universally accepted federation uniting
all traditional kung fu styles.
Federation was founded in 2003 with
its headquarters in Azerbaijan (I had to
look it up on Google Maps, and there it
was, adjacent to Russia, Armenia, Iran
and the Caspian Sea). I met David
Mahmudzadeh, the Chair of the IKF
and found him to be very respectful
and friendly. The IKF's objective of
promoting and fostering the traditional
Chinese martial arts is an admirable
yet ambitious effort. There is yet to be a
universally accepted federation uniting
all traditional kung fu styles.
Eric's Two Handed Straight Sword Form