EUSA Combat 2023 Concludes: University of Zagreb Tops the Medal Table
PHOTO: Antonia Maričević / EUSA Combat 2023
ZAGREB, July 23, 2023 - Zagreb, the host city of the second edition of the European Universities Combat Championships (EUSA Combat), witnessed a spectacular display of martial arts mastery over three competitive days. The local sports representatives delivered an exceptional performance, finishing at the top of the overall rankings, outshining nearly 400 European universities. Securing a total of 21 medals, including five golds, seven silvers, and nine bronzes, the students from the University of Zagreb proved their worth on home field.
PHOTO: Matija Juranović / EUSA Combat 2023
The closing ceremony of EUSA Combat 2023, held at the Dom odbojke sports hall on Sunday, July 23, saw the trophies awarded to the most successful European universities in each martial art discipline. University representatives from Istanbul Aydin University in Turkey clinched the title of the best in karate, while their fellow countrymen from Ankara Gazi University and Marmara University claimed trophies in taekwondo. Hungarian University of Sports Science took home the kickboxing crown, and representatives from various Ukrainian universities dominated judo, with Sumy State University securing the top spot.
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PHOTO: Matija Juranović / EUSA Combat 2023
Combining competitions in four martial arts, the European Universities Combat Championships took place from July 20 to July 23 at Zagreb's sports halls, including Dom odbojke (karate), Dvorana Trešnjevka (taekwondo), Dom Sportova (judo), and the University of Zagreb Faculty of Kinesiology (kickboxing). Welcoming 1,322 athletes from 31 European countries, the event featured fierce contests among 371 universities.
PHOTO: Emanuel Pastuović / EUSA Combat 2023
The championships commenced with the opening ceremony on Thursday, July 20, at the packed Dom Odbojke sports hall on the Sava River. The 1,500 participants arrived in Zagreb on Wednesday, July 19, and have departed from Croatia on Monday, July 24.
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PHOTO: Matija Juranović / EUSA Combat 2023
The event was graced by representatives from universities across Armenia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Montenegro, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Georgia, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Hungary, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Romania, North Macedonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, and the host nation, Croatia.
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PHOTO: Matija Juranović / EUSA Combat 2023
The Polish city of Poznań will host the next edition of the European Universities Combat Championships in 2025.
During the closing ceremony, representatives of the Poznań organizing committee received the European University Sports Federation (EUSA) flag from this year's host, the Zagreb University Sports Association.
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PHOTO: Matija Juranović / EUSA Combat 2023
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PHOTO: Matija Juranović / EUSA Combat 2023
The success of the event would not have been possible without the dedication of approximately 80 volunteers from Zagreb, various parts of Croatia, and abroad.
Their selfless contributions to the sports team, accreditation team, protocol and ceremonies team, information team, transport team, logistics team, media team, and medical team ensured the smooth functioning of the championships.
Spectators had free access to the sporting venues, and the fights were available for online live streaming, allowing enthusiasts to follow the gripping matches from afar.
PHOTO: Matija Juranović / EUSA Combat 2023
The organizers of the 2nd European Universities Combat Championships are the Zagreb University Sports Federation UniSport ZG), the European University Sports Association (EUSA), and the University of Zagreb, with the support of partners; the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Croatia, 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 Sports Association of the City of Zagreb, 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, Jana, and the Zagreb Electric Tram (ZET).
Text: EUSA Combat 2023 media team