Wushu
Wushu has two sides. Taolu is routines: an athlete performs a set sequence of movements alone on a mat, bare-handed or with a weapon. It is marked out of 10 for the quality of the movements, overall performance and (in some events) difficulty. Sanda is fighting: three rounds of two minutes with punches, kicks and throws on a raised platform with no ropes, the first fighter to win two rounds winning the bout.
New to wushu? Start here
Which to watch first, and how long
Start with Sanda. Two fighters, rounds and a clear winner.
- Sanda
- Three rounds of two minutes, with a minute's rest; the first to win two rounds wins
- Taolu
- Routines performed for judges, within time limits
Lengths are from the rule book.
The big events, and why they matter
- 1Asian Games (wushu)The top multi-sport title in wushu.Every 4 years; held since 1990 · Holder: China won 12 of the 15 golds
- 2World Wushu ChampionshipsThe sport's own world title.Every 2 years · Holder: Brasília 2025
India
India has won 11 Asian Games wushu medals, all in sanda: 3 silver and 8 bronze; Naorem Roshibina Devi won the women's 60 kg silver in 2022 and 2026 and bronze in 2018. At the World Championships India has 3 golds and 35 medals in all, with three silvers and a bronze at Brasília 2025 [the two pages].
- Wushu at the Asian Games: 11 medals, all in sanda: 3 silver and 8 bronze. Naorem Roshibina Devi won the women's 60 kg silver in 2022 and 2026 and bronze in 2018
- World Wushu Championships: 3 golds and 35 medals in all; at Brasília 2025 three silvers (Aparna Dahiya, women's sanda 52 kg; Kareena Kaushik, 60 kg; Shivani Prajapati, 75 kg) and a bronze (Sagar Dahiya, men's sanda 56 kg)
Countries to know
India and the nations that have done best, biggest titles first.
- IndiaWushu at the Asian Games: 3 silvers, 8 bronzes (latest 2026)
- ChinaWushu at the Asian Games: 86 golds, 10 silvers, 4 bronzes (latest 2026); World Wushu Championships: 17 titles (latest 2025)
- IranWushu at the Asian Games: 10 golds, 16 silvers, 7 bronzes (latest 2026); World Wushu Championships: 6 times runner-up, 1 bronze (latest 2025)
- Hong KongWushu at the Asian Games: 3 golds, 15 silvers, 7 bronzes (latest 2026); World Wushu Championships: 3 times runner-up, 5 bronzes (latest 2019)
Who runs it
| Rules made by | International Wushu Federation (IWUF), Wushu Taolu Competition Rules and Judging Methods (2024); for sanda, slides from the federation's 2023 judges' course on its 2017 Sanda Rules and Judging Methods |
| International federation | International Wushu Federation (IWUF) |
| In India | Wushu Association of India (WAI): recognised, on the MYAS list for 2026 |
The sanda rules come from training slides, not the rule book itself.
Where and when it is played
Taolu on a mat 14 by 8 metres; sanda on the leitai, a platform 8 by 8 metres and 80 cm high, where falling off gives the opponent two points. The big events: the Asian Games every four years (wushu since 1990) and the World Wushu Championships every two years.