# Should tai chi be turned into an Olympic "sport"?



## Bob Hubbard (Apr 27, 2011)

Should tai chi be turned into an Olympic "sport"?

I've seen a few threads elsewhere, wondering what the feeling is here.


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## WC_lun (Apr 27, 2011)

Bob Hubbard said:


> Should tai chi be turned into an Olympic "sport"?
> 
> I've seen a few threads elsewhere, wondering what the feeling is here.


 
I loveTai Chi, but I don't think it has the wow factor to be a sport in the Olympics.  Now Wu Shu or San Da I think would be an awsome addition.


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## Bob Hubbard (Apr 27, 2011)

If Tai Chi was taught 'old school' and as a martial art, I could see the possibility, but out side of China, and even there I expect it's more 'exercise' than 'art'. Yoga's not in the Olympics AFAIK, and that's pretty much how I see most Tai Chi out there. Chinese Yoga.

Are there any actual Tai Chi competitions that go on?


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## WC_lun (Apr 27, 2011)

Bob Hubbard said:


> If Tai Chi was taught 'old school' and as a martial art, I could see the possibility, but out side of China, and even there I expect it's more 'exercise' than 'art'. Yoga's not in the Olympics AFAIK, and that's pretty much how I see most Tai Chi out there. Chinese Yoga.
> 
> Are there any actual Tai Chi competitions that go on?


 
There are many tournaments where practitioners compete in forms and in push hands, ie The Tai Chi Legacy in Dallas.


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## The Last Legionary (Apr 27, 2011)

[yt]0W1ym3yggR4[/yt]

Yes, I know. This is a joke.  I like Tai Chi, there is a beauty in the movements when done right, and a grace I see in no other arts.


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## Bob Hubbard (Apr 27, 2011)

WC_lun said:


> There are many tournaments where practitioners compete in forms and in push hands, ie The Tai Chi Legacy in Dallas.


I can't see forms competitions transitioning to the Olympic level.  Then again, I don't watch much of the Olympics so could be wrong.  I rate forms like floor gymnastics, if that makes sense?


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## WC_lun (Apr 27, 2011)

Still, that is a hilarious clip.


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## clfsean (Apr 28, 2011)

Bob Hubbard said:


> I can't see forms competitions transitioning to the Olympic level.  Then again, I don't watch much of the Olympics so could be wrong.  I rate forms like floor gymnastics, if that makes sense?



Right after the Beijing Olympics, there was an "Olympic" level competition in wushu & sanda. This was held since wushu didn't make it into the Olympics (Judo, TKD & Boxing are already "contact" sports), even as a demonstration event. 

As long as those 3 are in place and don't appear to being dropped, wushu/sanda won't make it in. 

As far as Taiji, there are plenty of CMA tournies (Wong's, Taiji Legacy, etc...) that push hands & forms competitions are held for taiji. Not to mention events held around the world. My only problem with competative taiji (like wushu), it's standardized & use standardized forms (like gymnastic compulsaries) but so much of what makes taiji "taiji" has been removed, to where it's just pretty movement & really good athletics.


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## WC_lun (Apr 28, 2011)

Wu Shu itslef doesn't have contact.  It is judged more along the lines of gymnastics, so I think it still has a chance.  San da however has a long, long, road ahead of it to ever get into the olympics.


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## Xue Sheng (Apr 28, 2011)

Should Taijiquan be an Olympic sport&#8230;.let me think :hmm:

*NO!!!!*

Actually not just no but... *HELL NO!!!!*

It is dying fast enough as a martial art already it sure as hell does not need the help of the Olympic committee. Just let the 20th generation Chen family do to Taijiquan what Modern Shaolin did for Kung Fu and let it go at that


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## clfsean (Apr 28, 2011)

WC_lun said:


> Wu Shu itself doesn't have contact.  It is judged more along the lines of gymnastics, so I think it still has a chance.  San da however has a long, long, road ahead of it to ever get into the olympics.



Wushu/Sanda was a combined offering for a demo sport like TKD was initially, then recognized as a medal event. Wushu was declined because even though there is no contact in the taolu, it's not gymnastics & it's not a true contact sport, the IOC (IIRC) categorized it as a contact event & there's already 3 others. 

The problem with making wushu an Olympic sport is categorizing it. Chang Quan, Nan Quan, Internal, Specialities, Weapons, Shaolin, etc... 

Chang Quan & Nan Quan already have compulsories for empty hand & weapons. So does taiji. Even Shaolin has compulsory empty now for competition. Using a gymnastics term here, but when you get to individual events, there's a multitude of specialties that unlike gymnastics, can't necessarily be quantified & qualified as gymnastic motions & posture.

I don't think it'll make it to the Olympic stage per se, but there's plenty of world level events to keep wushu peeps happy.


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## clfsean (Apr 28, 2011)

clfsean said:


> Wushu/Sanda was a combined offering for a demo sport like TKD was initially, then recognized as a medal event. Wushu was declined because even though there is no contact in the taolu, it's not gymnastics & it's not a true contact sport, the IOC (IIRC) categorized it as a contact event & there's already 3 others.
> 
> The problem with making wushu an Olympic sport is categorizing it. Chang Quan, Nan Quan, Internal *(taiji, bagua, xingyi, liuhe, etc...)*, Specialities *(piqua, faantzi, zha, ying jow, tang lang, etc...)*, Weapons *(long, short, flexible, double, etc...)*, Shaolin, etc...
> 
> ...



Dear lord... lack of sleep due to storms made me more a rambling, incoherent idiot than normal. Sorry to anybody that tried to read that & comprehend what I was really trying to say.


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## pete (Apr 28, 2011)

wow... i don't even know where to start with this one!>!>!

if the thought is that competition/sport = more martial.  wow. i guess that would then imply judo to be more martial than say jujitsu, or tae kwon do to be more martial than kenpo... 

chinese yoga... what does that even mean??? worse analogy than slow karate! 

how about we just leave tai chi alone.  stop trying to put labels on it, or emphasize a single aspect as if it were the only characteristic of the entire art.  tai chi is doing fine, as a martial art and otherwise as some would have it.  tai chi is alive.  i know - i live it.

pete.


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## ggg214 (May 3, 2011)

being a sport, there should be a standard for judgement. when you are looking at the current sport wushu, you will find out that it's far from martial art, more like dancing.
i think it's a bad idea to do so.


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## mograph (May 3, 2011)

If it were made an Olympic sport, it would have to be reduced, focused, defined (whatever) so that it could be evaluated in an Olympic context. Then I suppose that the resulting form would become the focus of taijiquan practitioners ... at least the good ones. 

There goes diversity, in aid of a direction not appropriate to the best practices of taijiquan. 

Nope, i say.


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## tenzen (May 4, 2011)

The taichi of guo lin ying survives as a combat art. He was ridiculed for his thoughts on it much like leung jan in wing chun. And yes people still fight with it in competitions and I mean fight not push hands. The lei tai competitions have taichi fighters. Not the ones here but the ones in china. The guang ping yang taichi which is guo lin yings system is ver effective for combat. And possibly the erle montaigue taichi also.
But as an olympic sport, no way. Its not fascinating at all. Now a taichi fighter in sanda competition is different provided he actually can apply it.


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## tenzen (May 5, 2011)

Correction it was leung bik who was ridiculed for his ideas regarding wing chun not leung jan.


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