All you need to know about 2021 EKF Senior Championships

European Karate’s elite meets in Porec (Croatia) from May 19 to 23 for the 2021 EKF Senior Championships. It will be the final opportunity for athletes to win points to qualify for the Olympic Games. These are the key elements of the anticipated event.

OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION AT STAKE

The 2021 EKF Senior Championships in Porec is the last tournament in the Olympic qualification process by standings. The quest for the Olympics is expected to be thrilling.

The top four-ranked athletes in each one of the Olympic categories will earn the ticket to the Games by standings. The final list of qualified karatekas by standings will be announced after the European Championships.

While the race for the Games has been clarified in some categories after the last events, the tickets to Tokyo 2020 are up for grabs in the Olympic categories of Female Kumite +61kg, Female Kumite -55kg, and Male Kumite +75kg.

CLICK HERE to go to the Olympic standings

Fans can catch all the action of the elimination rounds LIVE on the WKF YouTube channel. All the competition of the elimination rounds from all four tatamis will be available live on the WKF YouTube channel, from Wednesday, May 19^th at 10:00 (local time) until Friday, May 21.

The finals and medal bouts of the event will be available on many TV networks. CLICK HERE to go to the list of TV providers.

Subscribe to the WKF YouTube channel to receive the notification when the streaming is available. CLICK HERE to go to the WKF YouTube channel

MASSIVE CELEBRATION OF KARATE

The EKF Senior Championships in Porec will be a true celebration of Karate. The strength of the sport in the continent is confirmed since 47 out of the 54 European national federations will be represented at the event.

Over 500 karatekas are registered to participate in the tournament. No less than eight countries will compete with a full delegation of 16 athletes: hosts of Croatia, France, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Slovakia, and Spain.

The last edition of the EKF Senior Championships was held in 2019 in Guadalajara (Spain). The host country topped the medal table with six medals including five golds, followed by Turkey, with 11 medals and three golds, and France, with four medals and three golds.

KINGS AND QUEENS OF EUROPEAN KARATE TO BE CROWNED

After one year of postponements due to the coronavirus pandemic, Karate’s big event in Europe returns to crown the new champions of the sport in the continent.

Sandra Sanchez and Damian Quintero of Spain aim at extending the domination of the Iberian nation in Kata categories. While World champion Sanchez has prevailed in the last five editions of the event, World ranking leader Quintero has ruled Male Kata in the last six events.

Meanwhile, Merve Coban of Turkey defends the title in Female Kumite -61kg as she hopes to achieve her fifth consecutive podium at the event.

In Female Kumite -68kg, current champion Alizee Agier of France hopes to maintain her star status as team-mate Steven Dacosta has his eyes set on keeping the World and European crowns under his belt.

Icons Luigi Busa of Italy and Rafael Aghayev of Azerbaijan are set to fight for the domination of Male Kumite -75kg, with the Italian ace acting as a current gold medallist and fan favourite Aghayev as the most awarded competitor of the event with 11 titles.

Jonathan Horne of Germany is together with Steven Dacosta and Sandra Sanchez the karateka hoping to maintain the double crown after prevailing in the last editions of the World and European championships. Many other aspiring Karate stars are hoping to succeed next week in Porec. 

INSPIRING PARA-KARATE

The Para-Karate competition will be one of the highlights of the event. The best Para-Karate athletes in Europe will give once again a demonstration of resilience, determination, and willpower in the Para-Karate competition. The elimination rounds of all the Para-Karate categories will be held on Friday, May 12 from 14:00 (local time). The finals of the Intellectually Impaired and Visually Impaired categories are scheduled for Saturday, May 22 while the category of Wheelchair users will crown their champions on Sunday, May 23.

Hosts of Spain dominated the Para-Karate competition in the last edition of the championships in 2019 with seven medals including four golds. France and Azerbaijan also demonstrated their powerhouse status in Para-Karate at the 2019 edition of the event.    

CLICK HERE for all the info on the 2021 EKF Senior Championships.