How is a wushu taolu competition organised?
A · Advanced · The events · 1 of 6Athletes compete in four age groups and perform one at a time, in an order drawn by lot. When an event has more than 50 athletes it is split into groups for preliminaries, and 12 athletes go through to the final. Results from the preliminaries carry no ranking and no medals.
How it works
- Adult: 18 and over.
- Youth: 15 to 17.
- Junior: 12 to 14.
- Children: 11 and under.
- Start order: drawn by lot by the chief scheduler-recorder, supervised by the jury of appeals and the chief referee.
- Preliminaries: used when an event has more than 50 athletes.
- Final: 12 athletes, with equal numbers from each preliminary group.
- Order in the final: from the lowest-placed qualifier to the highest.
- Roll-call: 30, 20 and 10 minutes before the event starts.
The glossary has the preliminaries and final, the routine, the all-around, the taolu ties, the appeal and taolu.
Tricky cases
An athlete has the top score in the preliminaries. Do they start the final ahead?
No. Preliminaries "do not determine official rankings". The score is not carried over. It matters only if two athletes tie in the final.
Who performs last in the final?
The athlete who qualified highest. The order runs from low to high.
An athlete misses the roll-call. What happens?
It is a forfeit. "Should an athlete fail to attend a roll-call, it will be considered as a forfeit."
Two finalists qualified with the same placing. How is their order in the final set?
By drawing lots.
Why the rule exists
A judged event needs a field small enough for the judges to compare routines fairly on one day. The preliminaries cut the field, and the final is then scored fresh. Performing in reverse order of qualification keeps the best routines to the end.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 50 athletes or fewer | Preliminaries are not required | Taolu Rules Art. 4 |
| More than 50 | Groups for preliminaries; 12 in the final | Taolu Rules Art. 4 |
| Tie in the final | The higher preliminary ranking wins the tie, after the other tie-breaks | Taolu Rules Art. 14 |
| Junior and children's divisions | Shorter routines | Taolu Rules Art. 11 |
From the rule book
International Wushu Federation, Wushu Taolu Competition Rules and Judging Methods (2024), Articles 3 to 7 and 14. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: Wushu Taolu Competition Rules and Judging Methods (2024) (PDF, Chinese and English).