Finnish team at the 1st European Health Qigong Games Mons, Belgium, July 2014.

Mons 2014

Finnish Wushu Federation Qigong Branch send a team to participitate the 1st European Health Qigong Games in Mons Belgium. The competition was organized by International Health Qigong Federation and hosted by Belgian Health Qigong Federation. The competition was a part of a larger event lasting 10.-15.7. Including a Forum, public show, judge course, competition and Duan examination ( The whole program here )

From left. Heikki Pesu, Jaana Meriläinen, Minna Toikka, Pasi Pirhonen, Zhang Fang, Taina Pääkkönen, Satu Herno, Aki Korhonen.

 The Team

The coach and team leader was shifu Zhang Fang and the competitors were; Jaana Meriläinen, Satu Herno, Minna Toikka, Taina Pääkkönen, Pasi Pirhonen, Heikki Pesu and Aki Korhonen. As a spectator with team was also Hillevi Meriläinen.  (Can you guess what was Hillevi's other connection to team?)

Hillevi Meriläinen took a lot of pictures.

Mons central plaza

Our team arrived via different routes to the city of Mons at Wed 9.7. The weather was rainy and pleasantly cool for Finnish people. The Mons is a lovely medieval city located in the South of Burssels at a distance of 70 km. It is the capital of the Hainaut province. It will be the European capital of culture in 2015.  All the teams were scattered to different hotels wich was maybe not the most optional choice since the international interaction was more sparse compared to all the teams staying in the same place. The Finnish team was in the Hotel Ibis near the railwaystation. Pierre De Keukalere, the president of the Belgian Health Qigong Federation, and his team had done excellent work organizing the event. There were clear and precise instructions how to register, book hotels, arrive to Mons etc. beforehand via webpage and e-mails. Also everything run smoothly during the whole event. Special thanks to Clementine De Keukalere, who was always there to help and also did a great performance in the competition!

European Health Qigong Forum

Please look for the whole  program here.
At Thursday morning we went by bus to the University of Mons where the European Health Qigong Forum was held. The forum was dedicated to dialogue of western and Chinese traditional medicine.  And the speakers were Chinese and western profesionals of health care and medicine.

Pierre De Keukalere opening the Forum with Lei Bin at the University of Mons.

 We also had the first time whole team together and had a rehearsal of the routines.

Judge Course

At Friday was a judge course organized and among the participitants ten judges were selected to be judges at the competition. From Finnish team at course were Zhang Fang, Jaana Meriläinen and Aki Korhonen. Zhang Fang was elected to be a technical judge.

 

1 st Day of Competition, Group Events, Saturday

At Saturday the competiton started with solemn seremonies. There were marches of the competitiors and judges and speecehs. There were representatives from the Mons city officials and Chinese Ambassador. At Saturday were group events. Finnish team  participitated in Wu Qin Xi and Ma Wang Dui Dao Yin Shu. We won both competitions.

Results from the Group Events (those we participitated)

Ma Wang Dui, Group Event:

1. Finnish Wushu Federation Health Qigong Branch 9.31
2. Belgium, Life Care Centre Team Cristine  9.10
3. France: Sun Wu Kong 9.09
4. Spain,: Instituto Qigong Barcelona  8.79
5. France: CENTRE DE KUNGFU WUSHU ET TCHNIQUES DOUCES  8.33

Wu Qin Xi, Group Event:

1. Finnish Wushu Federation Health Qigong Branch 9.14
2. Life Care Centre Team Jacques 9.12
3. Institituto Qigong Barcelona 8.83
4. Life care centre team An 8.79
5. BRITISH HEALTH QIGONG ASSOCIATION 8.64

The general atmosphere was great. Everybody was appreciating all the teams!

 

2 nd Day of Competition, Individual Events, Sunday

Finnish and Serbian Teams.

At Sunday were the individual events held. Also a very nice and memorable day. The results, three first and the Finnish competitiors:

Yi Jin Jing, women, individual

1. Jaana Meriläinen 9.39
2. Tina Hribar 9.16
3. Bayard Mirtine 9.10
9. Taina Pääkkönen 8.86

Wu Qin Xi, men, individual

1. Antoine Manu 9.29
2. Aki Korhonen 9.25
3. Couturiaux Fabian 9.21
6. Heikki Pesu 9.00
8. Pasi Pirhonen 9.00
 

Wu Qin Xi, women, individual

1. Idaira Moya Quintana 9.13
2. Tina Hribar 9.06
3. Heuze Christiane 9.04
6. Minna Toikka 8.90
7. Satu Herno 8.89

Da Wu,men, individual

1. Aki Korhonen 9.25
2. Maury Pierre 7.62

Da Wu, women, individual

1. Jaana Meriläinen 9.25
2. Ruelle Pascale 9.20
3. Idaira Moya Quintana 8.96
10. Taina Pääkkönen 8.70

Mawangdui men, individual

1. Antoine Manu 9.21
2. Aki Korhonen 9.17
3. Rioux Jean Mario 9.06
4. Heikki Pesu 8.89
5. Pasi Pirhonen 8.86

Mawangdui women, individual

1. Tina Hribar 9.19
2. Ba Dema 9.13
3. Minna Toikka 9.06
7. Satu Herno 8.89

Competition was a great experience, thanks for the organizers, Belgian Health Qigong Association and International Health Qigong Federation!