On the weekend of 15–16 November 2025, Helsinge became a meeting point for traditional Shotokan karate when Shobu Ippon Denmark hosted the Øresund Kyu Cup 2025. The main competition day on Saturday 15 November gathered more than 100 kyu-graded athletes from Denmark and Sweden, all looking for valuable tournament experience under the Shobu Ippon ruleset.
The event, run by Shobu Ippon Denmark – an organisation built around traditional values and Nordic cooperation – continued the organisation’s strategy of creating a clear pathway for athletes, from their very first competition all the way up to major Nordic events such as Nordic Open and the Shobu Ippon Tournament.
A Kyu Cup with a clear purpose
Øresund Kyu Cup is not a championship reserved for seasoned medal hunters. Instead, it is deliberately designed as a development tournament for athletes who are still building their competitive experience. The focus is on learning, confidence and good habits under pressure rather than only on podium places.
The 2025 edition followed a three-discipline format:
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Kata – formalised technique sequences, judged on precision, power and rhythm.
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Gohon kumite – structured “five-step sparring” that trains distance, timing and basic tactics, primarily for lower kyu grades.
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Ippon Shobu kumite – free sparring where a single full-point (“ippon”) can decide the match, reserved for the more experienced kyu competitors.
To ensure fair and educational match-ups, athletes were split by age and grade. Competitors from 10th to 5th kyu mainly fought in Gohon kumite, while 4th to 1st kyu athletes stepped into Ippon Shobu kumite. The structure made it possible for beginners to test themselves in a controlled environment, while more advanced kyu-graded fighters could push their tactical and mental skills under authentic match pressure.
Full halls, big lessons
The tournament quickly showed how strong the interest in traditional Shobu Ippon karate has become around Øresund. Social media posts from Shobu Ippon Denmark in the days before the event highlighted a new participation record, something that organisers saw as a clear sign of growing engagement among clubs on both sides of the strait.
With more than 100 competitors plus coaches, referees and families in attendance, space at the venue in Helsinge was pushed to its limits. Karatenews reported that the organisers are already looking at staggered starting times and other practical adjustments for future editions, precisely to maintain the calm, learning-focused atmosphere that defines Shobu Ippon events.
Despite the tight logistics, the tone throughout the day stayed positive. Athletes bowed onto the tatami in small, well-managed groups, and referees took time to explain decisions and protocol – a detail that matters when many participants are experiencing the pressure of a real tournament for the first time.
Club highlights and emerging names
The detailed result list from Øresund Kyu Cup 2025 paints a clear picture of strong club cultures and promising talent. Hørsholm Karateklub, long known as a powerhouse within Shobu Ippon Denmark, left Helsinge with a large collection of medals across both kata and kumite. Young athletes such as Laia B. B. Jensen, Emma Xi Chen, Freya S. Skov and Maria Hansen all reached the podium in multiple children’s categories, showing both depth and continuity in the club’s youth programme.
Taastrup, Taifu, Zanshin, Gilleleje and Karate-do Ichiro also featured prominently, each placing athletes on the podium and underlining that Øresund Kyu Cup truly is a shared Danish-Swedish platform rather than a single-club showcase. In the older divisions, kata titles for competitors like Maggie D. Yan (Taastrup), Justin Jeppesen (Hørsholm) and Alexia Christensen (Gilleleje) illustrated how the event serves everyone from children to adult kyu grades.
The Shobu Ippon kumite categories delivered some of the day’s most intense moments. In the girls’ 4–1 kyu division, Karate-do Ichiro secured a clean sweep of the podium, while Taifu stamped its authority in the senior men’s class, where Claus Herbstmann and Justin Jeppesen took gold and silver respectively, ahead of Shotogakusha’s Dennis Kristensen.
A bronze that felt like gold
One of the most inspiring stories came from Budokan Solrød and young fighter Arib Sheikh. Competing in a merged kata category where 5th and 6th kyu athletes were grouped together, he found himself up against opponents who were not only higher graded but also noticeably older and physically larger.
According to his club’s own report, Arib narrowly lost 2–3 to the eventual champion, yet still secured a well-earned bronze medal. For a development event like Øresund Kyu Cup, performances of this kind capture the real spirit of the tournament: courage in difficult match-ups, the willingness to step on the tatami despite nerves, and the understanding that small margins and close losses are often where the biggest lessons are learned.
Officials, sponsors and the Shobu Ippon ecosystem
In line with Shobu Ippon Denmark’s long-term emphasis on quality officiating and education, a strong referee team ensured that matches ran smoothly from the first bow to the last medal ceremony. Karatenews highlighted how the professional work of officials and volunteers helped the tournament unfold without major delays, despite the busy schedule and crowded venue.
The event also showcased a solid sponsor network around traditional karatedo, including names such as VVStime, Budoland, Kamiwaza, Advokat Liselotte Fjeldgaard Andersen, PLL Malerfirma and Konflikt og Kontakt – many of whom are recurring partners in Shobu Ippon Denmark’s different activities.
A stepping stone towards bigger stages
For many of the young athletes in Helsinge, Øresund Kyu Cup 2025 will be remembered as their first real test on the tatami – the moment where training became competition and theory became practice. For Shobu Ippon Denmark, the event fits perfectly into a wider competition calendar that includes development tournaments, national events and larger gatherings such as Nordic Open in Ystad and the upcoming 8th Shobu Ippon Tournament in March 2026.
Seen from a Nordic perspective, the 2025 edition confirmed that the Shobu Ippon format continues to attract new generations of karateka who value both tradition and fair, understandable rules. With a record number of participants, a clear developmental focus and a strong sense of community on and off the tatami, Øresund Kyu Cup 2025 strengthened Shobu Ippon Denmark’s position as an important driving force for traditional karate around the Øresund region – and gave a glimpse of the athletes who may one day represent their countries at the very highest level.
Øresund Kyu Cup 2025 – En dag med udvikling, erfaring og fællesskab | Karatenews