VIENNA, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Austrian Wushu Open 2009 was held on Saturday in the leisure centre of Wiener Neudorf, a town near the Austrian capital Vienna.

    It was one of the largest Wushu competitions with the largest number of participants in Austria.

    The tournament features 15 teams, with more than 100 participants on behalf of martial arts associations, including Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Austria.

    Sanda and light contact made their debut in the competition in Austria, attracting the audience and martial arts enthusiasts most.

    In accordance with international practice, the competition was divided into Tai Chi Chuan, Taolu, Sanda and light contact, including rapier, cudgel, Tai chi, traditional boxing, armed combat, and so on. It comprised three groups of children, junior and senior.

    Sanda and light contact were also set up in nine different levels between men and women. The whole competition consisted of 30 events.

    The Austrian national coach Tang Jin of Austria WU-SHU Federation said that the competition was held in Austria with the purpose of promoting more people in the West to understand the Chinese martial arts, and expanding the influence of martial arts in Europe further.

    Tang said that as China's comprehensive power has been rising in the international community, the Chinese culture, including the martial arts has become more attractive to foreigners. More than 90 percent of his proteges are non-Chinese.