Shaolin Temple abbot Shi Yongxin is to fly to Germany to watch the World Cup soccer final on the invitation by FIFA President Sepp Blatter, the temple said on Wednesday.

Established about 1,500 years ago, Shaolin Temple is famed for combining martial arts with Zen Buddhism and features long sessions of meditation to purify the mind.

The abbot said the FIFA invitation is thanks to the growing influence of Shaolin Temple and Shaolin kungfu in the world.

Shaolin Temple launched a Shaolin cultural center in Germany in 2001.

Source: Xinhua