The future of martial arts took center stage last week as young athletes from 78 countries and regions gathered for the 10th World Junior Wushu Championships in the northern port city of Tianjin.

The event, which opened on Wednesday and concludes on Monday, marks a historic milestone as the first time the world's premier junior wushu competition has been hosted on the Chinese mainland. The biennial championships were previously staged in the Macao Special Administrative Region in 2012.

Beyond the hunt for medals, the championships serve as a high-stakes proving ground. As an official qualification platform for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, 48 athletes in Tianjin will secure their spots for wushu's highly anticipated debut in the global multi-sport event.

Zhang Yuping, secretary-general of the International Wushu Federation, said wushu is not only a sport but also a cultural bridge that transcends borders and connects people.

"Youth represent our future, and we are delighted to see an increasing number of young people embracing and practicing wushu," she said.

This year's competition features 83 gold medals across 66 taolu, or routine, events and 17 sanda, or sparring, events, divided into child, youth and junior categories.

Young Chinese athlete Wang Chengxu secured the first gold medal for Team China in the boys' junior changquan, or long fist, event, earning 8.92 points with a precise and composed performance.

Zhang said that Tianjin has a deep-rooted wushu heritage. The city hosted the international invitational wushu championships in 1986, a milestone in the sport's journey toward global recognition.

Huang Ji, an official of the Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Sports, said the city's long-standing reputation as a martial arts hub provides a strong foundation for hosting the event.

Huo Jinghong, a participant in the opening ceremony and a descendant of the legendary martial artist Huo Yuanjia, said: "A century after the passing of my ancestor Huo Yuanjia, it is a special honor and privilege to represent his legacy and witness Tianjin hosting this world-class wushu competition. This championships truly fulfills the aspirations of my forebears to strengthen the nation and its people and to achieve harmony under heaven."

Wu Jing, an actor and IWUF goodwill ambassador, said that wushu plays a significant role in promoting Chinese culture worldwide. "Harmony in diversity and stopping war is the true essence of martial valor," he said. "We hope to give the youth a deeper understanding — not just of martial arts, but the chivalric tradition of the form and the wider culture that surrounds it."

Gvantsa Karchava, a competitor from Georgia, is taking part in the championships for the first time. "I think wushu really deserves to be a part of the Olympic family, and I'm really excited to be part of this," she said. "My team and I really love China — the culture, the people, everything."

For Thai coach Meme Sirinapha, Wushu in Thailand is like a philosophy of living. "I want the young people who compete in the Olympics to be athletic and play sports happily," the coach said.

yandongjie@chinadaily.com.cn