Since its founding in 1958, it has been credited with the development and standardization of modern wushu and sanda throughout the world.
The Central Guoshu Institute was created in 1928 by the Kuomintang as a means of standardizing the practice of wushu throughout China.
That year, the first National Games of China were held where wushu was an official event.
Since the formation of the IWUF, the CWA continued to be a major influence on the progression of wushu worldwide in the creation of competition regulations, routines, and standards.
In 2020, amid criticism of traditional martial arts, the CWA ordered practitioners not to self-appoint themselves as masters.