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Over 800 athletes are competing for honours in the European Kung Fu Championships hosted for the first time in Georgia, with the official opening of the tournament already held on Tuesday.
Organised by the Georgian National Wushu Federation, the competition involves various disciplines of kung fu, a Chinese martial art sport developed after World War II.
Competitors had been involved in matches held in the Wingchun discipline before the formal opening of the championships yesterday.
Starting today, they will showcase their skills in kung fu, considered the traditional branch of the sport known as wushu.
Representing 28 nations, the athletes will face each other at the Tbilisi Olympic Palace, the venue for the European competition.
Marking Georgia’s first ever hosting of the tournament, the Embassy of China presented the National Wushu Federation with “highly valued” carpets used for matches, said the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs of Georgia.
The championships are held in the framework of Check in Georgia – a government program of sporting competitions, cultural and tourist events across the country throughout the year.
The program for sporting events of the project was announced earlier this year and includes a dozen competitions and matches through late September.
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