The European Universities Combat Sports Championships will take place in September
The last European student championships of the year will take place in Tirana, Albania on 8–16.9, when it is time for combat sports. As Finland’s medal score for this year is 0 after the summer’s EUSA Games, the team heading to Tirana will be responsible for this year’s success.
Finland is sending a team of athletes in judo, karate and taekwondo. The team is a mix of experienced and new athletes. If previous years is anything to go by, one or more medals would not be a surprise. The team is full of athletes who have done well both nationally and internationally and are on their way to the top of the world.
One of the more experienced athletes in the team is Anna Alatalo from the University of Helsinki, who represented Finland last year at the World University Games in Germany. Alatalo’s training season has been disrupted by a wrist injury, but she is still feeling confident about the competition.
“The injury forced me to focus on footwork in my training, and this has been a key area of development, and there has been definite progress during the summer.” She is still looking forward to the championships:
”Last summer’s University Games were unforgettable. I am preparing to deliver strong performances at my absolute best, with the goal of racking up round wins.”
The student championships in combat sports are of an extremely high level, and a fantastic opportunity for the athletes to test their level on the international stage. In addition to the sports, the championships always have an excellent atmosphere. As well as the channels of the Finnish Student Sports Federation, you can also watch the championships on the EUSA Games YouTube channel.
Karate and taekwondo will take place on 9–11.9, and judo on 14–16.9.
Team Finland
Karate:
Häme UAS: Niko Mantere
University of Jyväskylä: Tuomas Suur-Inkeroinen
Taekwondo:
Haaga-Helia UAS: Ida Tammila
University of Helsinki: Anna Alatalo and Ada Gustafsson
Metropolia UAS: Kerttu Salminen
University of Tampere: Mira Mänty
Judo:
Haaga-Helia UAS: Jenny Sundberg and Enna Nieminen
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Page last updated 3.9.2026