Can a wushu taolu score be appealed?
A · Advanced · Results and disputes · 4 of 6Yes,
How it works
- What can be appealed: group C difficulty judgements, choreography deductions and routine time deductions.
- What cannot: group A deductions and group B performance marks.
- Who: the team leader or coach, for one of the team's own athletes.
- How: in writing to the jury of appeals.
- When: within 15 minutes of the conclusion of the routine.
- Fee: US$200, refunded if the appeal is upheld.
- Limit: two appeals for each team in the whole competition, each on one point in one event.
- The jury: a chairman and two members. A member does not vote on a case involving their own federation.
- The decision: by majority, with more than half the members taking part. It is final.
- Evidence: the jury's camera operators record every routine in full.
The glossary has the appeal, the degree of difficulty, the head judge deductions, the judge groups, the quality of movements and the overall performance.
Tricky cases
A coach thinks the performance marks were too low. Can the team appeal?
No. Overall performance marks are outside the three things that can be appealed.
A team wants to appeal on behalf of a rival team's athlete who was marked too generously. Allowed?
No. A team may appeal against the verdict on "one of its team's members".
The appeal succeeds. What happens to the fee and the score?
The score is corrected and the US$200 is refunded.
A team has used both appeals and then meets a clear timing error. Can it appeal again?
No. Each team has the right to appeal "at most two (2) times within the entire competition".
Why the rule exists
The three things open to appeal are matters of fact that video can settle: did the jump rotate fully, how long was the routine, was a required technique there. Judgements of quality and style are left alone, because a second opinion on those would be only another opinion.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Taolu | Written appeal, 15 minutes, US$200, two for each team | Taolu Rules Art. 12 |
| Jury | One chairman and two members; the chairman decides a tied vote | Taolu Rules Art. 43; 44 |
| Upheld | Result altered; fee refunded | Taolu Rules Art. 13 |
| Rejected | Result stands; fee kept | Taolu Rules Art. 13 |
From the rule book
International Wushu Federation, Wushu Taolu Competition Rules and Judging Methods (2024), Articles 12, 13, 43, 44 and 48, and the Judging Methods, Chapter 11, Section 1. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: Wushu Taolu Competition Rules and Judging Methods (2024) (PDF, Chinese and English).