The highly anticipated European Universities Championships in Combat Sports (EUSA Combat) are set to commence next week in Zagreb, bringing together 1,534 athletes representing 395 universities from 30 European countries. The first athletes are scheduled to arrive in Zagreb on Wednesday, July 19, with the grand opening ceremony taking place the following day. The competitions themselves will unfold from July 21 to 23.

Over the course of three exhilarating days, student-athletes from across Europe will compete in the disciplines of karate, judo, taekwondo, and kickboxing. The competitions will run from morning until evening at various locations, including the Dom odbojke Bojan Stranić (karate), Dom sportova 2 (judo), Sportska dvorana Trešnjevka (taekwondo), and the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Zagreb (kickboxing).

With 168 athletes and 41 universities, the largest delegation at these championships is from the United Kingdom, closely followed by representatives from Ukraine with only a few athletes fewer (161 athletes and 51 universities). Croatia will be proudly represented by 82 athletes from seven universities at this year's European University Championships in Combat Sports.

Additionally, participants from universities in Armenia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Montenegro, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Georgia, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Hungary, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Romania, North Macedonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, and Turkey will also compete in Zagreb.

The European University Championships in Combat Sports is the largest student sports event of the year in the calendar of the European University Sports Association (EUSA).

During the inaugural edition of the European University Championships in Combat Sports in August 2019, approximately 1,300 athletes competed in these four disciplines in Zagreb.

The event organization is supported by 70 volunteers from Zagreb, various regions of Croatia, and abroad. These dedicated volunteers contribute to the event's success through their participation in sports teams, accreditation teams, protocol and ceremonies teams, information teams, transport teams, logistics teams, media teams, and medical teams.

The event is organized by the University Sports Association of Zagreb (UniSport ZG), the European University Sports Association (EUSA), and the University of Zagreb, in partnership with the Croatian Academic Sports Federation, the City of Zagreb, the Student Council of the University of Zagreb, the Student Center of the University of Zagreb, the Zagreb Sports Federation, the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Zagreb, the Croatian Karate Federation, the Croatian Taekwondo Federation, the Croatian Judo Federation, the Croatian Kickboxing Federation, Pride, and Jana.

Admission to the sports venues is free for all interested spectators, and the matches can also be followed through live streaming on the official YouTube channel (EUSA Combat). For more information, visit the official website (zagreb2023.eusa.eu) and follow the event's social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram (@eusacombat).

Get ready to witness the incredible displays of skill, dedication, and sportsmanship as the European University Championships in Combat Sports unfold in the heart of Zagreb.