Wushu, dragon boat racing to remain competitive sports at World Games

The 2025 Chengdu World Games will wrap up at the Chengdu International Friendship Pavilion on Sunday night. CGTN Sports Scene's Zhu Mandan learnt from the organizing committee's press conference on the day that wushu and dragon boat racing will continue to be included in the World Games as competitive sports.

As of Saturday, a total of 233 gold medals have been awarded to athletes from 81 countries and regions while 18 world records were broken. Moreover, over 220,000 tickets were sold during the Games and gymnastics, Muay Thai, and wushu became some of the most popular sports with sold out competitions.

International World Games Association (IWGA) President Jose Perurena confirmed plans to retain wushu and dragon boat racing as official competitive sports in the future World Games.

Meanwhile, Xu Xingguo, Executive Vice President and Secretary-General of the Chengdu Games Executive Committee, stated that the host city will further solidify its position as a globally recognized hub for premier sporting events.

Athlete representatives Alison Hoeft and Sydney Martin from the USA cheerleading team said they enjoyed both the competitions and the heartwarming environment in Chengdu.

At the closing ceremony tonight, Chengdu will pass the baton to Karlsruhe, Germany, for the 13th edition of World Games in 2029.