Three renowned Chinese wushu masters from Shanghai—Cai Siwu, Xie Zhenghao, and Yang Chen—are leading the fifth International Wushu Workshop in Porto, Portugal, running from July 18 to August 2. Organized by the GZERO Wushu Youth Association in partnership with the Portuguese Federation of Chinese Martial Arts (FPAMC) and Estrela e Vigorosa Sport, the event includes more than 70 hours of training and, for the first time, features the International Wushu Championship.

The championship attracted athletes and delegations from Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Ukraine, with more than 100 competition entries across modern wushu and traditional kung fu disciplines. FPAMC President Jorge Teixeira praised the event, saying: 

"The tournament was excellent, with a very high technical level. After the tournament ended, the workshops began and will continue until August 2, with the three Chinese masters teaching the forms. They are two separate events, but we successfully combined them."

According to GZERO Wushu President Vasco Ferreira, the event marks the first time in more than 20 years that Portugal has hosted such a diverse international wushu gathering. He explained that the project began in 2015 after the association established partnerships with Chinese coaches during a visit to China.

"Instead of asking Portuguese practitioners to spend large amounts of money traveling to China, we decided to bring the masters here so more athletes could benefit from their knowledge," Ferreira said.

After expanding internationally in 2018, pausing during the COVID-19 pandemic, and returning in 2024, the workshop has continued to grow. This year's edition features participants from 10 countries, including the United States, while also implementing full international judging standards in the modern wushu competition, including the rarely used difficulty judging panel to raise the event's competitive level.

The workshop remains the centerpiece of the initiative, offering more than 70 hours of intensive training led by experienced former Chinese athletes who teach in English. Ferreira noted that "high-level athletes come here and later showcase the results of this training at World and European Championships," adding that the organizers aim to continue expanding the event and establish Portugal as an international hub for wushu training and competition.

 

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