The World Games Athlete of the Year 2024 campaign concluded on January 31, marking another milestone for wushu as China's Xin Tong secured third place in the final global vote.
The IWUF became an official member of the International World Games Association (IWGA) on May 27, 2021, and wushu has also been included as an official event in The World Games 2025. As an official member of the IWGA, the IWUF was invited to nominate wushu athletes for the 2024 World Games Athlete of the Year selection. A total of 22 individual athletes, pairs, and teams—each nominated by their respective International Federations—competed in this prestigious campaign. Among them, the candidate for wushu is Xin Tong from China.
The final standings of the competition are as follows:
The World Games Athlete of the Year 2024:
Veddriq Leonardo (Indonesia) – Sport Climbing – 77,045 votes on the final round
1st runner-up: Kristin Lätt (Estonia) – Flying Disc – 51,338
2nd runner-up: Xin Tong (China) – Wushu - 26,181
A Wushu Champion
Xin Tong is one of China’s most celebrated wushu champions, specializing in Taijiquan and Taijijian. She made a remarkable international debut at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, where she claimed gold in the Women's Taijiquan & Taijijian All-Round event. Her success not only highlights her personal achievements but also elevates wushu’s status as a sport deeply rooted in Chinese tradition.
Please refer to IWGA website for her interview after being recognized in The World Games Athlete of the Year campaign: https://www.theworldgames.org/news/Wushu-icon-Xin-Tong-celebrated-in-The-World-Games-Athlete-of-the-Year-race-2614
