The opening ceremony of the 2026 European Karate Federation Senior Championships brought together athletes, officials and guests in a celebration of the values of karate and the strong popularity of the sport in Germany and all over Europe. The ceremony was headed by EKF and WKF president Antonio Espinós, the president of the German Karate Federation and EKF executive committee Member Wolfgang Weigert and Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff, representative of Sports in Hessen, former Olympian and member of the Hessian CDU praesidium, and a member of the UNICEF Germany board of trustees.
In his address, Mr Weigert expressed his pride in hosting the championships in Frankfurt and highlighted the importance of the event for karate in Germany.
“We are proud to welcome Europe’s best karate athletes to Frankfurt. This event shows the strength of karate in our country. As WKF Commissioner for Para Karate, I am especially pleased to see how far Para Karate has advanced since its debut at the World Championships in Bremen in 2014. The progress has been remarkable,” he added.
Ms Linsenhoff praised the role of sport in bringing people together and recognised the effort made by all participants to attend the championships.
“Sport is not only passion but also an opportunity to meet people. Everybody who is here has made a big effort to be here and you should be proud of it.”
EKF and WKF President Antonio Espinós thanked the German Karate Federation and Mr Weigert for organising the championships and underlined the growth of karate across the continent.
“I want to thank the German Karate Federation and its president, Wolfgang Weigert, for hosting this event. Karate has grown extraordinarily in Europe, and this development is due to the popularity of karate in countries such as Germany. This championship is an example of how far we have progressed and of the excellence of our events,” he added.
(Top picture: EKF and WKF President Antonio Espinós received from the president of the German Karate Federation and EKF Executive Committee Member Wolfgang Weigert the honorific membership to the German Karate Federation.
From left to right: the president of the German Karate Federation and EKF Executive Committee Member Wolfgang Weigert, EKF and WKF President Antonio Espinós and Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff, representative of Sports in Hessen, former Olympian and member of the Hessian CDU praesidium and a member of the UNICEF Germany board of trustees.
EKF and WKF President Antonio Espinós declared open the championships
Mr Weigert showcased the pride of the German Karate Federation for hosting the event
Ms Linsenhoff expressed the importance of sports as a unifying tool