Olympics.com has set out how the first Olympic wushu competition will work in Dakar: taolu only, four combined events, two routines per athlete and a top-eight final, from 1 to 3 November at the 10,000-seat Dakar Expo Center.

With the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games only days away, Olympics.com has published a guide to how the first Olympic wushu competition will run. The taolu events take place from 1 to 3 November at the Dakar Expo Center, a venue with capacity for 10,000 spectators.

Taolu only

Wushu has several competition formats, but in Dakar the programme is limited to taolu. Athletes perform set, choreographed routines and are scored by a panel of judges. Around 48 athletes are expected on the competition floor.

Four combined medal events

  • Men's changquan combined (changquan and gunshu)
  • Women's changquan combined (changquan and gunshu)
  • Men's taijiquan combined (taijiquan and taijishan)
  • Women's taijiquan combined (taijiquan and taijishan)

The two styles could hardly be more different. Changquan comes from northern China and is built on speed, kicks, jumps and acrobatic elements. Taijiquan, the competitive form closest to what most people know as tai chi, rewards precision and smooth, controlled movement.

How the medals are decided

Every event asks each athlete for two routines: a bare-hand form plus a weapon form (staff for changquan, fan for taijiquan). The two scores are added together to set the standings. A preliminary round comes first, and the best eight in each event go through to the final.

For the background to wushu's long road to the Olympic programme, see our earlier report: Wushu Makes Olympic History: Four Medals at Stake in Dakar.

Photo: Dakar 2026

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