Tai Chi Fan and Swords at the World Championship in Burgas: Exoticism and Martial Arts

On the third day of the World Tai Chi Championship in Burgas, competitors performed with the extremely interesting and spectacular style known as "tai chi fan." The elegant accessory for ladies in the past was also traditionally a close combat weapon. If today the colorful paper, plastic or wooden fan is only part of the competitive exoticism of tai chi, then in the past it was a metal, sharp weapon from the Chinese martial art, made with reinforced bone spokes, used for blocking, striking and defense. Tai chi fan cannot be seen at every competition, because the discipline was introduced for the first time in 2024 at the championship in Singapore. In Burgas is the second World Championship in which men and women participate with martial fans, which significantly raises the level of the forum. Characteristic of the martial fan is that it withstands sudden movements, emits a clear, loud sound when opening, which is used to focus energy (qi). On yesterday's day, competitors also presented themselves with a weapon - a sword, no less beautiful and interesting for the viewers. "A very strong championship with more than 450 competitors from 44 countries and every year the level becomes stronger and stronger. With each appearance of each competitor, the judges had to give a higher score, and this is significantly a higher level than previous world forums. Italy, Germany and France were big surprises with valuable competitors. The strength of Malaysia was unexpected, this time competing with the greatest force in tai chi - China," commented the three days Sifu Stanislav Bagalev, master of tai chi and wing chun. Today, the finals on the two carpets in the sports hall "Mladost" and a closing ceremony from 18:00, which is free admission for all visitors, are forthcoming.