NEW YORK, March 17 -- More than 200 professional and amateur Chinese Wushu practitioners from around the United States gathered to compete at Queens College in New York City on Sunday as the second New York International Wushu Championships kicked off.

The opening ceremony gave an audience of hundreds of people a brilliant hour-long Wushu show, which covered more than a dozen martial arts categories, including Taiji, Fist, Sword, Spear and Cudgel. The performers belong to various ethnic groups and range from little children to grandmasters such as Zhao Qingjian from China, who has won numerous medals in broadsword and cudgel at both national and international Wushu arenas.

Victor Wong, president of the U.S. Wushu Masters Association and founder of Sunday's championships, told Xinhua that as a Chinese immigrant and Wushu practitioner, he wants to promote the Chinese Wushu culture in a more effective way by showcasing its various categories and schools through one grand competition.

He hopes that one day people would see Wushu at the Summer Olympics. "The biggest dream of me and my colleagues is to help Wushu get recognized as an official Olympic Games sport, just like Taekwondo."

Sunday's championships will see participants compete in nine categories including Southern Fist, Northern Fist, Wing Chun, Taiji, Sword and Cudgel, according to the organizers.

The U.S. Wushu Masters Association is a community organization consisting of Wushu experts, scholars and practitioners at all levels.

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