ust days after the curtains closed on the World Taijiquan Championships in Burgas, Europe's wushu elite arrives in Lyon for the 20th European Wushu Kungfu Championships - the continent's biggest wushu event of the year. The Opening Ceremony takes place today, May 6, with competition running from May 7 to 10 at Halle Stéphane Diagana.

Hosted jointly by the Fédération Française des Arts Énergétiques et Martiaux Chinois (FFAEMC) and the Wushu Kungfu Federation Europe (WKFE), the championships mark a historic first - never before has France hosted the European Wushu Kungfu Championships in their two-decade history. The event is staged with the support of the French Ministry of Sports and the Agence Nationale du Sport, underlining the strategic importance of this edition for the discipline in France and across Europe.

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Over 700 athletes, every wushu discipline

More than 700 competitors from across Europe are expected in Lyon, making it one of the largest editions in the championship's history. The programme covers the full spectrum of competition wushu - Modern Taolu, Traditional Taolu, Sanda, Sanda Light, and Tuishou - with categories for Juniors, Youth, and Adults. Athletes who compete in traditional events cannot enter modern events, and vice versa, in line with WKFE regulations.

Lyon will, in the words of organisers, become the "continental capital of wushu" for one week. For the host federation, the championship is more than a competition - it is a milestone in positioning France as a central force in European wushu development.

A historic edition

The 20th edition follows the 19th European Wushu Championships, held in Stockholm, Sweden in May 2024. Reaching its 20th edition makes this the longest-running continental wushu championship in the world - a testament to the steady growth of the discipline in Europe over more than three decades.

The championships also arrive at a strategically important moment for European wushu. With the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar 2026 featuring wushu in the official programme for the first time, and the Junior World Championships in Tianjin serving as the qualifier, Lyon offers a key stage where Europe's next generation can prove themselves under continental spotlight.