European Open Szolnok Cup 2018

2018.09.18

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Date: September 1, 2018
Place: Szolnok, Hungary
Organizer: Hungary Branch Chief Furko Kalman & Banzai Kyokushin Karate Kai

European Open Szolnok Cup 2018-International Fullcontact Karate Championship Report

The main organizer of the tournament was Banzai Kyokushin Karate Kai, which celebrated its 40th anniversary last year.

The host of the tournament: Shihan Kálmán Furkó 8 Dan, founder of Kyokushin Karate in Hungary.

Patrons of the event:

– General Tibor Benko (Minister of Defence)
– Dr. István Simicskó, Government commissioner for national defense education
– Dr. János Mészáros, President of the Hungarian Karate Federation
– Ferenc Szalay, Mayor of Szolnok City

The tournament had 5 male and 4 female categories, following the Full Contact Karate competition rules: Men -65kg, -75kg, -85kg, -95kg, +95kg and Women -50kg, -60kg, -65kg, +65kg.

The tournament registered 74 competitors from 8 countries, Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Spain, Russia, Romania, and Ukraine.

The competition is a continuation of a decade-long tradition, which began in 1979 under the name of Szolnok Cup, organized by Shihan Kálmán Furkó, which was the most prestigious event at that time after the European Championships. The tournament was at a high level, and the army close-combat and children’s demonstration entertained the spectators, who were able to enter the tournament for free.

The opening ceremony started with spectacular taiko drum, and then the competitors entered, and we heard the Hungarian anthem.

The guests of honor: Ferenc Szalay, Mayor of Szolnok City, Shihan Koen Scharrenberg, EKO President/WKO Vice President, Shihan Attila Meszaros, former WKO Vice President from Sweden, Shihan Sotodate Shinichi 6 Dan from Japan, Dr. János Mészáros, President of the Hungarian Karate and Race Sports Federation, General Attila Simon, Hungarian Defence Ministry Cabinet Boss, and other guests.

The tournament was an excellent preparation for the international and Hungarian competitors, who performed very well. After the qualifiers and finals, the closing ceremony followed, where the best competitors received spectacular trophies.
The overall medal ranking was 1st place: Ukraine, 2nd place: Hungary, 3rd place: Russia, and 4th place: Poland.

Before the competition, from August 29 to 31, a Kata seminar with the leadership of Shihan Sotodate was held in great success, with nearly 100 people from 6 countries (Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Japan, Romania, Ukraine) attending it. Shihan Sotodate also visited the Oyama Memorial Park, where he viewed the “Shihan Furko Kalman Memorial Table”, and the Banzai Kyokushin Karate Kai dojo.