The 6th JKS European Karate Cup was held in the Danish capital Copenhagen, bringing together 1,700 participants from 19 countries. The tournament opened with a solemn parade, during which the Japanese ambassador expressed solidarity with the Ukrainian people and support for Ukrainian athletes in these difficult times of war.
Five karatekas from Donetsk oblast competed as members of the Ukrainian national team. They are representatives of the “Tetsu Ryu” and “Donbas” sports clubs and the Donetsk regional children's and youth sports school for gaming sports and martial arts, and representatives of the Kramatorsk, Sloviansk and Druzhkivka communities. They showed decent results, winning two silver and two bronze medals.
Among the adults, Helena Parkhomenko won silver in the kata category, Anastasiia Pereverzyeva and Stanislav Vnukov won bronze in the team kumite, and Danylo Butsenko took fifth place in the team kumite.
In the junior age group, Sofia Kulakova won a silver medal in team kumite and came fifth in individual kumite.
The athletes were prepared for the prestigious competition by coaches Ihor Shalaumov, Helena Parkhomenko and Mykola Dorosh.