National Karate Team Member BME Graduate Returns from Trento for the European University Games

The European University Games officially commenced on Friday, 12 July, in Miskolc and Debrecen. Organised biennially by the European University Sports Association (EUSA) since 2012, this sporting event is being held in Hungary for the first time. Thousands of university athletes have previously gathered in Spain, the Netherlands, Croatia, Portugal, and Poland for this event. Among the competitors will be several students from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME), whom we plan to interview in the coming days. First up is karate practitioner Csenge Fábián, whom we spoke to before the competition.

She is studying computer engineering at BME and is a member of the Hungarian national team in the kata discipline of karate, which consists of set sequences of movements. She participated in last year's world championship held in Hungary and became the adult individual Hungarian champion in May (she had previously been a national champion in the team category). The series of standardized movements, called kata, involve performing a predetermined list of about 100 kata, one in each round, with judges scoring based on technical execution, speed, strength, balance, and overall performance. With a few exceptions in world tournaments, competitions are usually conducted in a knockout format, as will be the case at the European University Games.

Training in Italy

For the past six months, Csenge has been in a unique situation, studying at the University of Trento on an Erasmus exchange, adapting to a new environment. I joined the local karate club in Trento and attend their training sessions. Although they specialise more in kumite (sparring), a former kata competitor from the club, Francesca Reale, has been a tremendous help to me. She currently lives near Venice but often comes home to Trento and gives me training sessions; she has also showed me a gym where I can do my strength training," Csenge told bme.hu.

Francesca Reale is a recently retired former Italian champion and European team age group champion, so Csenge is in very capable hands. Italy has a very strong kata scene, which influenced her decision to choose the country for her Erasmus programme. However, within Italy, she only had two cities to choose from and didn't know any karate practitioners from either. "In the end, everything worked out so well; I'm glad I came to Trento. I also stay in touch with my coach at home, who oversees three to four of my five to six weekly karate sessions via video call, sending training plans for the rest," she added.

Fortunately, she has fewer subjects left for this term, allowing her to better balance her studies and sports. There have been easier and harder terms, but it has always been manageable. My absences sometimes caused difficulties, but my professors were supportive. With good time management, it can be done; training schedules are predictable, competitions are the real challenges. A European or world championship means missing at least a week, often requiring me to skip tests and exams.

Csenge is determined to win a medal at the European Games, though she currently knows little about her competitors, noting that the field can vary greatly in strength. "There is definitely an overlap with the competitors from major international tournaments, so it won't be easy," she said, preparing for her last exam in Trento before heading home.

Despite the boost karate received from its inclusion in the Tokyo Olympics, with growing popularity and increasing professional participation, she doesn't envision her future solely as a martial artist. "I believe I will make a living primarily from my career as a computer engineer. Before the Erasmus programme, I worked as a software developer for two and a half years, starting from my BSc traineeship, and I plan to return to the same company in September. However, I don't intend to work full-time initially, so I can continue with my sports activities," she added.

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