The best Karatekas in Europe are getting ready to fight for glory at the upcoming 2017 EKF European Championships to be held in Kocaeli (Turkey) from May 4-7. As the anticipated event is less than ten days away, excitement is building among top athletes and Karate fans alike as the titles of new European champions are up for grabs.

The best Karatekas in Europe are getting ready to fight for glory at the upcoming 2017 EKF European Championships to be held in Kocaeli (Turkey) from May 4-7. As the anticipated event is less than ten days away, excitement is building among top athletes and Karate fans alike as the titles of new European champions are up for grabs.

The 52nd edition of the EKF European Championships is scheduled to start on Thursday, May 4 with the first rounds of Male and Female Individual Kata competition. The opening ceremony will be held on Friday, May 5 at 17.30, and the bronze medal bouts and finals will take place on Saturday and Sunday. The closing ceremony on Sunday, May 7 at 13.30 will wrap up the event. All the competition will be held at Sehit Recep Topaloglu arena in Kocaeli. 

The Karate European Championships mark an anticipated event as some of the biggest names in the sport gather in a memorable quest to glory. While the registration process is still underway, the main issue will be if rising newcomers can dethrone some of the most celebrated competitors. Also, the nations that have traditionally dominated the European scene will try to extend their influence at continental level. 

Representatives of Croatia, France, Serbia, Spain and Turkey present the largest delegations with 16 competitors. Over 40 countries will be represented at the event in the Turkish city. 

Edition to continue the outstanding showdown in Montpellier

A sensational showdown of first-class Karate was presented at the 2016 European Championships which were held in Montpellier (France). The new chapter of the thrilling quest to glory to take place in Kocaeli in less than ten days is set to continue taking the sport to new levels of excitement. 

Hosts of France were the big winners of the tournament last year in Montpellier, as representatives of the organising country won 11 medals, with six golds. Spain and Azerbaijan also took the spotlight at the event, with a tally of six medals and three awards, respectively. 

A year earlier, European karate celebrated its big competition in Istanbul (Turkey). In that edition of the event, which can be of reference to the upcoming tournament in Kocaeli, Spain topped the medal table with nine medals, followed by hosts of Turkey and France, with 11 and nine medals each. 

The 2014 edition of the event was celebrated in Tampere (Finland). Italy dominated the competition after claiming 7 medals. Turkey finished on second position of the final ranking with 9 medals followed by Spain with seven medals. 

Click here for more information on the EKF European Championships. 

Fans can also keep up to date with all the stories on WKF Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram, the one-stop destination for behind-the-scenes social media stories from Kocaeli. Fans can also join the fun by using the hashtags #RoadtoKocaeli and #EuroKarate2017. 

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