When will everybody be kung fu fighting?

By Lee Chyen Yee

BEIJING (Reuters) - You've seen it in the "Matrix". Bruce Lee is its most famous proponent. An animated panda tickled audiences this year. Now practitioners hope that wushu, more commonly known as kung fu, 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," said Sarah Ponce, 32, doffing her gloves and vest 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. The sport needs to carve out a wider professional presence, train referees and find funding before it can get a stamp of approval from the International Olympic Committee.

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.

GRACEFUL MARTIAL ART