The 11^th European Showdown Championship were held on 5^th-11^th August 2024 and it was organized by the Bulgarian Sports Federation for the Visually impaired. Sixteen countries participated: Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, and the hosts from Bulgaria.

The European Championship was held under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Rumen Radev. “With the strength of their spirit, people with disabilities demonstrate that there are no limits to human potential, and this gives us hope and faith.” With these words, President Rumen Radev addressed the participants of the 11th European Showdown Championship.

The European Championship began on August 8th in six halls, three of which were streamed online, allowing everyone interested in the sport to watch the matches in real-time. The broadcasts continue to be available on the YouTube platform, so anyone interested can watch them.

Link to the live stream from hall 1

Link to the live stream from hall 2

Link to the live stream from hall 3

Detailed information on the results and rankings from the championship can be found on the Federation’s website, www.vipsport.bg.

Link to the website of the Bulgarian Sports Federation for the Visually Impaired

In the women’s tournament, 27 showdown players participated. In the men’s competition there were 36 participants.

The top three men were as follows:

1. Krystian Kisiel, Poland
2. Mindaugas Dvilaitis, Lithuania
3. Christoff Eilers, Belgium

The top three women were as follows:

1. Hanna Vilmi, Finland
2. Weronika Szynal, Poland
3. Piera Folino, Italy

The top three teams in the European Championship were:

1. Poland
2. Finland
3. Latvia

The award for the youngest competitor went to 15-year-old Marketa Trunkova from the Czech Republic, while the fair play award went to Rita Dütsch from Switzerland.