By Brian White and Zhang Ming'ai

The inaugural meeting of the Chinese Wushu delegation for the Beijing 2008 Wushu Tournament was held this morning, August 7, 2008 at the National Sports Bureau Wushu Administrative Center.

The inaugural meeting of the Chinese Wushu delegation for the Beijing 2008 Wushu Tournament kicked off this morning at the National Sports Bureau Wushu Administrative Center.

The Chinese Wushu delegation for the Beijing 2008 Wushu Tournament consists of 29 members with Wang Xiaolin as the head. Eight of the athletes will participate in 8 events at the tournament. Yuan Xiaochao, Zhao Qinjian, Wu Yanan, Ma Lingjuan, Lin Fan, Chui Wenjuan will compete in the taolu events, in which the athletes are judged on the form of their martial art patterns and maneuvers. Shuai Ke and Qin Lizi will be contending in the sanshou or sparring events.

Eight Chinese Wushu athletes who are to participate in the Beijing 2008 Wushu Tournament posed for a photo at the inaugural meeting.

The objective of the inaugural meeting was to support those athletes attending the tournaments and encourage them to stay away from doping. Wang Xiaolin, president of the Chinese Wushu Association, and director of the National Sports Bureau Wushu Administrative Center, said, "We want a clean Wushu tournament, no doping is allowed."

Wushu athletes practice their routines of taolu (left) and sanshou (right)

All members of the delegation swore an anti-doping oath and each singed an anti-doping promise letter at the inaugural meeting.