Organized by the Albanian University Sports Federation under the auspices of the European University Sports Association (EUSA), the European University Combat Sports Championships (EUC Combat Sports 2026) took place from September 8 to 16, 2026, in Tirana, Albania. With more than 1,600 athletes from 400 universities and 39 different countries, these championships brought together Europe’s best competitors in judo, karate, kickboxing, and taekwondo.

Twelve students from UGA and the UGA Sports Association participated in this competition, most of whom held the status of "high-level student-athlete." After shining at thethe 2025 edition of these championships With no fewer than five medals—including a European judo championship title and a runner-up title—the UGA athletes proudly represented France and their university on the Albanian tatami mats.

Three European bronze medals

Among the UGA students selected for these European University Championships, Etan Huy competed in the taekwondo events, while Maï Linh Bui and Enzo Falco competed in the karate events.


The extremely high level of competition in karate did not prevent Enzo from winning a well-deserved bronze medal.

After the opening events in karate and taekwondo, the competition continued from September 13 to 16, 2026, with judo. The UGA champions capitalized on the momentum created by Enzo Falco to take the podium twice


Emilie Dando, a third-year STAPS undergraduate student, won a superb bronze medal in the -63 kg category. Mathilde Chabal, a second-year master’s student in economics, also took home a bronze medal in the -70 kg category.


Philippe Martin, combat sports coordinator at UGA and head of the CUFE Judo program, reflects on the competition: "This was a wonderful international experience for these twelve UGA students, and they will surely put it to good use this season as they compete for various French championship titles in their respective sports."