Held from September 30 to October 5, the tournament brought together competitors from multiple countries, highlighting the discipline’s expanding international reach and improving standards among overseas practitioners.
Gia Lai’s 10 athletes won 10 gold medals for Vietnam, including seven in forms and three in combat events. France finished top of the youth championship with 13 golds, six silvers and one bronze.
Lê Công Bút, coach and deputy director of the Bình Định Traditional Martial Arts Center, attributed Vietnamese athletes’ strength in forms to sustained, specialised training and their familiarity with the discipline’s technical requirements.
With traditional martial arts originating in Vietnam, domestic athletes have greater access to training and a strong understanding of the movements and their underlying principles, he said.
Combat events presented a tougher challenge. European competitors had advantages in physique and strength, particularly in heavier weight categories, according to Bút. Gia Lai’s fighters nevertheless showed resilience and adapted well to international competition.
For athlete Trần Thị Thảo Hiền, representing Vietnam fulfilled a long-held ambition. She said the progress of competitors from Italy and France was among the tournament’s most striking features.
Hiền also praised the Burkina Faso team’s determination and enthusiasm despite difficulties in training, describing their performances as an expression of respect for Vietnamese traditional martial arts.
Away from competition, Gia Lai athletes were impressed by the warmth of their international counterparts.
Enthusiastic support for Vietnamese competitors created a sense of connection among participants and pride in seeing the discipline embraced overseas.
Bình Định martial arts and Vietnamese traditional martial arts more broadly have been practised in Europe for decades through teaching, training, exchanges and demonstrations.
Competing directly at a world championship in Europe gave Gia Lai athletes a new experience of that international community.
The event took place as the World Federation of Vietnamese Traditional Martial Arts entered its second term, shifting its emphasis from expanding its presence to strengthening the quality and sustainability of its international network.
Federations, organisations, clubs and practitioner communities have developed in countries including France, Algeria, Iran, India, Sri Lanka, Burkina Faso, Mali and Russia.
Alongside that expansion, overseas athletes have improved their technical skills, making competition with Vietnamese teams more demanding.
Bùi Trung Hiếu, deputy director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said international teams were building stronger squads and investing more systematically in training and competition.
Those developments were raising technical standards and creating more meaningful exchanges, he said, while providing a foundation for further growth internationally and at grassroots level.
