大象传媒

A number of fighters at Maddogs Gym in Hanley have their eyes set on competing at the 2012 Olympics.

There is one slight problem for them at the moment though: their sport currently isn鈥檛 on the Olympic list.

However this could change, and with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) staging a Martial Arts World Games in Beijing in 2010, there is every possibility that Freestyle Kung Fu could feature in the Olympic Games.

World champions

If that were to happen, a number of fighters at the Maddogs Gym would be in contention for selection. There are currently many world champions training in the gym, with one fighter even holding five world titles.

Dave Maddocks, owner and coach at Maddogs Gym, believes that his young fighters have all it takes to perform at the most prestigious level in sport.

鈥淭hese kids here are the best in the world at this sport and would do well at the Olympics.

鈥淭hey are role models, they train like professionals, act like professionals and are a great example to other youths in this country. That is what an event like the Olympics is all about.鈥�

Better spectacle

Currently, Judo and Taekwondo are the only two martial art forms at the Olympics, with the latter only being recognised as an Olympic sport in 2000.

Maddocks thinks that freestyle kung fu is a much better spectacle than both of those.

鈥淭his sport is quicker with bigger kicks and punches and is much more exciting to watch.鈥�

One problem the sport of Freestyle Kung Fu currently has is the lack of funding. At the moment, there is no funding into the sport. Instead, clubs have to raise funds themselves, something that is very time consuming and difficult to do.

鈥淭he kids here train for about 10 hours a week and then fight on Sundays. Sometimes, they will train on a Saturday morning then be at the local supermarket in the afternoon bag packing to raise money for their next tournament.鈥�

鈥淲ith the amount of time and dedication these kids put in they deserve more recognition. They are superstars and something like the Olympics would let this be known to the world.鈥�

Striving for Olympic glory

Some of the fighters striving for Olympic glory include Tom Gould, Lorna Greatbatch, Ebony Bennion-Poole, Charlie Maddock and Kirsty Holmes, all of whom are current world champions.

However for now, all they can do is wait for 2010 and the World Games in Beijing where many of them will be fighting.

After that, a decision will be made on whether they will get the chance to flaunt their exceptional talent to the world and maybe then, become superstars.

Brad Clark