Highlight of Sibu wushu calendar: 7th Borneo International in July

SIBU: SibuMartialArts(Quanshu) Association ( SMAA) has drawn up its calendar of events for the year and the highlight is the 7th Borneo International Wushu Championship slated to be held at Civic Centre here from July 21 to 24.

SMAA chief coach Gilbert Wong said the meet is expected to feature wushu exponents from China, India, Indonesia, Macau, Singapore, Brunei and host Malaysia.

“This year is special as the championship is also expected to incorporate a lion dance exhibition besides the usual 10 martial art disciplines and the traditional taolus,” he added.

Already, Wong said a team from China has confirmed participation and it will be the biggest wushu event to be staged here if all the invited teams come.

“Invitation letters have been sent,” he said, adding the closing date is in May.

Other events drawn up for the year include: Sing Kwong Cup Lion Dance competition on April 15 at Sing Kwong Supermarket; Sibu Division Inter-school Dragon, Lion and Wushu Championship on April 29- 30; Central Region AgeGroup wushu championship from June 3- 4; exhibition matches at Borneo Cultural Festival from July 20-29; Inter-Division Schools Wushu Championship in August; 6th Sibu International Dance Festival Exhibition matches from Aug 28-Sept 9; National Sports Day Lion Dance competition on Oct 14; and Sarawak Open Wushu championship in December.

Notably absent from SMAA line- up this year is overseas exposure trips for its exponents. In the past year, SMAA used to send players to Hong Kong, Beijing or to other countries to take part in international wushu competitions.

“We have to skip overseas meets this year as we will be busy with preparations for the Borneo International Wushu Championship,” he explained.

Stating that SMAA has always been active in promoting wushu, he expressed hope of seeing more students joining SMAA. — by Philip Wong