Do You Know What Wushu Is? Ijaz Ahmad Wins a Wushu Silver for Pakistan at Asian Games

Adil Najam

I must confess that I did not know what Wushu is. Not until I read the news that Pakistan’s Ijaz Ahmed has just won an Guangzhou Asian Games Silver medal in the the Men’s Sanshou 75kg Wushu fight event.

Congratulations, Ijaz Ahmed, on your silver medal. And thank you, Ijaz Ahmed, for giving me this opportunity to learn something new and interesting.

Wushu, it turns out, is a modern full-contact Chinese Martial Arts fighting sport, a recent addition to international sports in which the very first world championships were held in 1991. Wushu bouts are held in two discipline: Taolu and Sanda or Sanshou. This, of course, is relevant to thsi post because 29-year old Ijaz from Pakistan has won his silver in the Sanshou discipline. Wushu itself is supposed to be a lot like kickboxing, but also includes grappling techniques. Sanshou is more influenced by Chinese boxing and Chinese wrestling.

Here is the report in Dawn on Ijaz Ahmed’s performance at the Asian Games 2010 in Guangzhou, China:

Pakistan’s most low-key medal hope, its Wushu team, have sprung the biggest surprise of the Asian Games, winning silver in the Men’s Sanshou 75kg Wushu event. Pakistan’s Sanshou fighter Ijaz Ahmed put up a spirited performance before going down to Hamidreza Gholipour of Iran in the final. The 29-year-old Pakistani had reached the final after beating Magsarjav Batjagal of Mongolia in the semi-final.

This, after Pakistan’s wrestlers overcame all odds to land gold at the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in India, ranks amongst one of the most extraordinary feats in sports considering that the martial art form exists amidst not so ideal conditions. This coupled with the fact that the nation is fixated with cricket means the only official understanding the public has of the art comes from Jet Li and Jackie Chan films.

It is also a lesser know fact that martial arts and martial artists in Pakistan exists in huge numbers. It can be termed a thriving underground scene which is spurred by aficionados like Zulfiqar Ali Zulfi who have travelled around the world and brought back home the finer details to pass onto prospective fighters.

The Pakistan Wushu Federation with the support of the International Wushu Federation was able to secure a short tour of China, one of the pioneers of the art, before the Asian Games and it seems the move has paid dividends. Ijaz Ahmed’s most unlikely feat is another nudge to the sports ministry that should hopefully push it to play a more active role in the promotion of the lesser known sports in Pakistan.

Of course, there has not been that much to report on Pakistan’s performance in the Asian games till now. But that is likely to change soon. Things to keep an eye on are the womens’ T20 cricket team from Pakistan which has been on a winning streak and is now the favorites to win the gold and will play Bangladesh in the Finals – which means that they are now assured to medal. The Pakistan mens’ hockey team is not yet assured a medal but have found their stride and Pakistan hockey team is to meet India next in their round – in a game which will decide Pakistan’s semi-final chance.

The Final of Womens’ T20 is to be played today (Friday) at 1.30PM, China Time – ATP wishes the Pakistan team the very best! (The Mens’ T20 will begin after the womens’ tournament ends. Two qualifying teams will then meet Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, who have already qualified for the knock-out phase which will end with the Final to be played on November 26).