European Shotokan Championship 2026: Greece Takes Silver

The European Shotokan Karate Championships were held in Seville, Spain on 22–24 March 2026, drawing 1,800 competitors from 38 nations. Greece delivered its strongest result at a European championship in over a decade. **Team Kata — Silver** The Greek team kata squad — Kostas Nikolaou, Elena Stavrou, and Dimitris Petrakis — performed Kanku Sho with precision and power, earning scores that placed them second behind Japan and ahead of Germany's highly regarded team. The performance was described by head judge Shihan Kowalski as "technically immaculate and full of spirit." **Men's Individual Kumite — Bronze** Alexandros Dimos (85kg division) fought his way through six bouts to reach the semi-final, where he was narrowly defeated on a hantei decision by eventual champion Pierre Moreau of France. Dimos collected bronze with an outstanding display of counter-fighting and zanshin. **Overall Medal Table (Top 5)** 1. Japan — 5 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze 2. France — 3 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze 3. Spain — 2 gold, 4 silver, 3 bronze 4. Greece — 0 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze 5. Germany — 0 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze The squad returns to training immediately in preparation for the JKA World Championships in Tokyo this September. We congratulate all members of the team on a superb performance.