LiuPeng announces the start to the Ninth World Wushu Championships.

(BEIJING, November 11) -- Applause filled the Beijing Olympic Sports Center Stadium Sunday evening as the delegations to the Good Luck Beijing Ninth World Wushu Championships arrived at the scene of the opening ceremony.

The 1,500 athletes, trainers, and judges from 88 nations and regions will compete in 40 men's and women's events, including 22 Taolu events and 18 Sanshou events, from November 11 to 17, 2007.

At the opening ceremony, Liu Peng, minister of the General Administration of Sports and executive president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), announced the official start to the games.

Yu Zaiqing addresses the audience.

Yu Zaiqing, president of International Wushu Federation and executive vice-president of BOCOG, also addressed the audience.

Scene of the opening ceremony

The Chinese team arrives

The audience was treated to impressive Wushu demonstrations from Wushu groups from the Beijing Normal University, the Beijing Institute of Technology, the Capital Institute of Physical Education, and the Guangdong Wushu team, among others.

Jet Li lends his support

And the world-renowned action movie star Jet Li, a former Chinese national Wushu champion, was also there to lend his support. Li offered these words of encouragement to the athletes: "If you win against yourself, then every one of you is a champion."

The first World Wushu Championships took place in 1991, and this is the fourth time that China has played host to the competition.

Tickets to the Wushu worlds are now on sale through the ticketing hotline (+8610 64068888 or +8610 64069999) or at the door, and ticket prices range from 10 yuan to 80 yuan.

Wushu demonstration at the opening ceremony