Nick Evagorou won his medal in the Wushu tournament, which although not yet an official Olympic sport, was one to be showcased this year.

This gave Nick, 27, an instructor at the Epsom Nam Yang Pugulistic Association, the thrill of being part of the Games and also of demonstrating an ancient sport participants hope will eventually be included in the main event.He is just as proud of his medal as the rest of the champions in Team GB – of which he hopes he will again be a member in 2012.

He said: "I competed in the World Wushu Championships 2007, where the top eight competitors would gain the opportunity to compete in the Wushu Tournament featured in the Beijing Olympics. The International Olympics Committee sanctioned the tournament as a specially-approved demonstration event."

"It took place at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium and featured alongside other events in the hope the demonstration would cement a bid to make the Wushu Tournament an official event at a future games, including the 2012 Olympics in London."

Taken from the China Daily

You've seen it in the Matrix. Bruce Lee was its most famous proponent. An animated panda tickled audiences this year. Now practitioners hope that wushu, more commonly known as kungfu, will be contested at the Olympics.

Wushu's backers are trying to cram the millennia-old art on to a packed Olympics calendar, arguing a growing following. They claim a victory for a sport that for the first time held an unofficial competition on the sidelines of the Games in Beijing.

China's growing clout, hit films such as Kung Fu Panda and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and international stars Jet Li and Jackie Chan have helped the martial art lure devotees from Vietnam to Sweden.

"They have boxing at the Olympics. They have taekwondo. This is all that in one package," Sarah Ponce, 32, said after a sparring match. She took three months off her job to train and paid her own way from the United States to China.

But it might take more than a decade before wushu's signature whirling kicks and lightning punches will be seen at the Games.

Sports for the 2012 Olympics have been decided and wushu is not shortlisted for 2016. Its advocates are holding out for 2020.

The Games in Beijing showcased 28 sports. In London, the number will fall to 26 after the exit of baseball and softball. And a slew of other sports will be vying for a place in 2016, such as squash, rugby, golf and karate.

The International Wushu Federation is one of the IOC's 31 recognized federations along with cricket, golf, karate, rugby and squash, meaning a spot on the program is not impossible.

"Wushu will need to prepare for submitting a strong file in 2011," Jan Fransoo, president of the Association of the IOC Recognized International Sports Federation, said.

The 2020 Games will be determined seven years before.