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The Birth of WKF
Author: Annabelle A. Udo
In June 1992 a group of prominent Chinese martial arts leaders met in San Francisco to discuss the possibility of establishing a national governing body for Chinese martial arts in the United States. After a year of public backslapping and private bickering, the United States of America Wushu Kung Fu Federation (WFK) has become a reality. Its goad is to unify the fragmented world of Chinese martial arts in America.
August 21, 1993
More than 2,500 people showed up at the Baltimore Convention Center to witness the inauguration ceremony officially marking the inception of the WKF as a national governing body for Chinese martial arts in the United States. In addition to a congratulatory letter of support from President Bill Clinton, the governor and mayor of Maryland proclaimed August 21 as United States of America Wushu-Kung Fu Federation Day in the state of Maryland.
Highlighting the inauguration were keynote speeches made by William Donald Schaefer, governor of Maryland; Kirk Schmoke, Mayor of Baltimore; and Zhang Yaoting, president of Chinese Wushu Association (China).
Performance by the 1st united States Army Band set up the stage for the Master's Demonstration which included Jiang Hao Quan, Wang Jurong, Bo Sim Mark, Lee Koon Hung, Y.C. Wong, and Henry Look. As well, the selected 1993 United States National Team members provided a demonstration. The inauguration concluded with a festive bangquet at the Maryland Science Center.
The WKF
Amalgamation is the concept behind the WKF - bringing together the different styles of Chinese martial arts by developing an network with the federations of approximately 50 countries that are members of the International Wushu Federation (IWF).
" all these major organization did a lot of work in promoting martial arts," said anthony Goh, President of the WKF. "At the same time these meetings and exchanging of ideas have helped each other to work." Goh added that the WKF comes at a time when the martial arts industry's augmenting growth needs consolidation and a forum where ideas can be unified. "It (martial arts) is expanding and I think it's a time where people need to understand the benefits of martial arts more than ever," Goh explained.
Jeff Bolt, Vice President of the WKF, emphasized that as the WKF moves toward bringing the people of this country together with China and many other countries, the one important element to keep in mind is the preservation of tradition.
"The main thing is for everyone to go in one direction," he said, "and also to assure that the diversity and traditional values of the Chinese martial arts stay intact but yet be open to ideas as far as promotions and standardization without losing traditional values."
Over the next two years, some of the WKF's plans are to develop the intetest and participation throughout the United States in the sport of Wushu-Kung Fu and to united Wushu-Kung Fu practitioners in the U.S. in creating a national network to promote the sport nationally.
At this point WKF is doing a selection of the U.S. National Team that will be going to Malaysia for the Second World Wushu Championship in November. In order to develop a fair and impartial selection procedure for the National Team, the WKF has developed selection criteria. The National Team will consist of eight Taolu and eight San Shou athletes. The WKF recongnizes the need for consistency and fairness in the selection and judging process and guarantees the participation of a qualified judging panel and selection committee.
Prospective Taolu U.S. National Team members were previously qualified at either the Orlando or San Francisco tournaments. Due to legal restrictions in California, no San Shou qualification procedures were carried out in San Francisco. Therefore, all eligible contestants will be selected in Baltimore.
Zhang Yao Ting, President of the Chinese Wushu Association (China) believes that the WKF is a vital element to the evolution of martial arts between the U.S. and China.
"Being the original country of Chinese martial arts, China thinks it is very important to share the benefits of Chinese martial arts throughout the world," he said. "The establishment of the WKF proves that the American people will now share in the benefits of Chinese martial arts in America. The Chinese Wushu Association is looking at it as a very important matter that now the Chinese martial arts development in the United States has become important so that the American people will benefit from the martial arts training.
With the new era of martial arts, an evolution is definitely taking place as the WKF moves into the future at full force.
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