Budapest hosted Europe's first high-level training camp dedicated to competitive Wushu Taolu from February 5-8, 2026, designed as preparation for the Youth Olympic Games. The four-day intensive program brought together more than 40 of the continent's top junior athletes from across Europe for specialized training and skill development.

The camp was organized as crucial preparation for the World Junior Wushu Championships, scheduled for late March in Tianjin, China, as well as for the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, where Wushu will make its debut this year as an official sport in the Games program. Among the participants were two coaches from the Croatian Wushu Federation, Lana Pribanić and Namik Dizdarević, who participated in specialized training focused on perfecting Tai Chi forms as well as Changchuan and Nangchuan forms.

During the program, the International Wushu Federation (IWUF) engaged two top Chinese technical experts, Zhou Bin and Liu Qinghua, who led the training sessions and worked on improving technical execution and understanding of competition rules. The focus remained on enhancing athletes' readiness for major international competitions and raising overall performance standards across Europe.

Patrick Van Campenhout, president of the European Wushu Federation, emphasized that the Budapest camp represents an important step forward in strengthening Europe's competitive Wushu structure.

"This year is especially significant for the development of Wushu. Given that Wushu is entering the Youth Olympic Games program for the first time, Europe must raise standards in rule interpretation, technical execution and coach education," Van Campenhout said. 

He added that this was the first camp of this level in Europe, providing young athletes with an opportunity for significant progress and stronger positioning on the international stage.

Upon completion of the training, coaches from the Croatian Wushu Federation received certificates of participation, confirming their successful involvement in this significant European project. The camp marks a milestone in European Wushu development as the sport prepares for its historic Youth Olympic debut later this year.

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