On 13-14 October 2017 in the Ahlbeck Sports and Entertainment Hall (Germany), next to Swinoujscie (Poland),
the 31st Kyokushin European Championships were held.
412 competitors from 24 countries fought in 37 weight categories and kata, divided by age groups: seniors, juniors, younger juniors and youngsters. After a short performance of the Polish Navy Orchestra, the opening ceremony of the Championships was made by the Mayor of Swinoujscie Janusz Zmurkiewicz, the Mayor of Ahlbeck Lars Petersen and the President of the European Kyokushin Federation shihan Antonio Pinero. Among honorary guests were Shihan Hristo Traikov (Bulgaria), shihan Leslaw Samitowski (USA), shihan Lars Hogquist (Norway), shihan Andrzej Drewniak (Poland), sensei Mauricio Alvarada (Costa Rica) and shihan Noriyuki Tanaka (Japan) Taiko, who opened the Championships by striking a Taiko drum.
President Antonio Pinero handed in artistic cups to the President of Swinoujscie, the Mayor of Ahlbeck, members of the KWF Board, shihan Włodzimierz Roj, shihan Robert Wajgelt, sensei Andrzej Klujszo and others to appreciate their efforts to prepare and organize the European Championships and promote Kyokushin in Poland and Europe. In connection with 35 year celebration of Swinoujscie Kyokushin Center, its founder and animator of twelve international tournaments and three national championships sensei Paweł Sujka was awarded an artistic epergne by the President of PFK shihan Andrzej Drewniak and a samurai sword by the President of Regional Karate Federation sensei Andrzeja Klujszo.
The Championships were held under the patronage of MSiT and the Embassy of Japan. The main judge was shihan Antonio Pinero. It is worth mentioning that the event was prepared exceptionally well (i.e. a morning training on the beach accompanied by a horse riding club and Taiko drum sounds, sports hall decorations combined with professional lighting systems, computerized event processing and fast printout of results, artistic cups and medals for participants, accommodation and full board at a new five-star Radisson Blu Hotel, conducting a KWF General Meeting during an evening cruise on Chateaubriand ship, providing coverage of the event by three TV and two radio stations, Sayonara and disco, fireworks, delivering a final report for Teleexpress news program and 30-minute coverage presented by the first national Polish TV channel TVP1.
Among many sponsors and city authorities supporting the event was the Platinum Sponsor Radisson Blu Hotel Swinoujscie and they should be distinguished. The direct organizer of the championships was the Swinoujska Akademia Kyokushin with its President Marek Antoniuk.
The 32nd European Kyokushin Championships will be held on 25-26 May 2018 in Bucharest, Romania, and the next Kyokushin KWF World Championships will take place on 2-3 November 2018 in Astana, Kazakhstan.
