At the European No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Romania, two teams particularly close to the Israeli audience topped the medal standings. Israel took first place. Ukraine came second but collected more awards than any other team in the tournament.
This story is not about the defeat of one country and the victory of another.
It is a story of two teams that showed character, sportsmanship, and the ability to fight until the last second on a European tatami. For many Israelis with Ukrainian roots, such a result sounds especially personal: two countries with which family, memory, language, home, anxiety, and hope are connected were at the top.
What was this championship and why is No-Gi a separate discipline
The European Championships in NOGI JiuJitsu and NOGi Teams 2026 took place on June 13–14, 2026, in the Romanian city of Pitești. In the JJEU/JJIF calendar, the entire program in Pitești was scheduled for June 12–14 and included competitions in No-Gi and Contact Ju-Jitsu for age categories U16, U18, U21, Adults, and Masters.
This was not a local club start but a European ranking competition of Ranking event B class level. Representatives from 20 countries took to the platform, and the Sportdata entry lists indicated 345 entries. It is important to speak specifically of “entries” because one athlete in such tournaments can be entered in different categories or team formats.
No-Gi is a format of jiu-jitsu without the traditional kimono. In classic Gi, an athlete can build part of their tactics on grips on sleeves, collars, belts, or kimono fabric. In No-Gi, there is no such support: participants perform in sports gear, usually in a rashguard and shorts, and the fight becomes faster, denser, and less predictable.
Reaction speed, body control, position fighting, leg passes, holds, defense against painful and choking techniques come to the fore. Mistakes here often cost very dearly because without fabric grips, the opponent quickly escapes from a dangerous position or, conversely, quickly imposes their pace.
That is why medals in No-Gi cannot be perceived as a coincidence. It is an indicator not only of technique but also of physical readiness, psychological stability, and the ability to adapt in motion.
Israel won the overall standings, Ukraine collected the most medals
The main intrigue of the tournament turned out to be almost cinematic: the first and second places were divided by one gold medal.
The Israeli team finished the championship in first position in the overall standings:
| Team | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Israel | 15 | 6 | 13 | 34 |
| Ukraine | 14 | 15 | 18 | 47 |
Israel received 15 gold medals, and this indicator was decisive. In team tables, when the number of awards is equal or close, the country with more gold victories usually comes out ahead. Therefore, Israel was first, despite trailing Ukraine in the total number of medals.
For Israeli sports, this is a strong result. A small country living under constant pressure showed the depth of preparation in a combat sport where it is impossible to “hide” behind a team. On the tatami, each athlete goes one-on-one with the opponent, with fatigue, pain, fear of mistakes, and the need to make decisions in fractions of a second.
Ukraine, in turn, held the tournament at the level of a true European leader. 47 medals — more than any other team. The Ukrainian team won 14 gold, 15 silver, and 18 bronze awards, trailing Israel by only one gold result.
Calling this a defeat would be wrong.
Ukraine showed the scale of the school, the breadth of the lineup, and the resilience of the training system. When a country takes almost fifty medals at a European tournament, it speaks not of one lucky day, but of a large number of athletes, coaches, clubs, and families who continue to work even in very difficult conditions.
Among the Israeli winners of the championship in the published lists are Ido Barash, Maya Behar, Omri Haviv, Lia Shalev, Yoav Shalomon, Maya Tev, Guy Torres, and Amit Yonasi. Among the Ukrainian champions are Anastasia Banashkevich, Timofey Bezugly, Fyodor Bogdan, Andrey Bukhtiyarov, Maxim Denisyuk, Victoria Panchenko, Ivan Kucheryavy, and Alexey Yukhno.
Full list of all prize winners by category requires verification with the official Sportdata protocol, but the already published data confirms the main thing: both teams performed at the level of European leaders.
Why is Israel first if Ukraine has more medals?
The answer is simple: the decisive factor was the number of gold awards.
Israel has 15 gold medals.
Ukraine has 14 gold medals.
In terms of the total number of awards, Ukraine was ahead: 47 against 34. But in the final team standings, priority was given to the team that more often rose to the top step of the podium. Therefore, first place went to Israel, and Ukraine became second and simultaneously the most medaled team of the championship.
Why is this important for the Israeli audience
For ordinary sports chronicles, this could be a short news: place, date, table, medals.
But for the audience of NAnews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency there is a deeper meaning here. Israel and Ukraine often find themselves side by side in the news due to war, security, diplomacy, tragedies, and political decisions. This time they found themselves side by side on the sports summit.
And this is a rare occasion to talk not only about pain but also about strength.
Israeli athletes proved that the national team is capable of winning the European standings in a tough and competitive discipline. Ukrainian athletes proved that even against the backdrop of war and constant pressure, the country maintains its sporting character, mass participation, and will to win.
For repatriates in Israel born in Ukraine, such a result is read especially emotionally. Here you don’t want to choose a side. Israel is the country where you live, build a home, raise children, and worry about safety. Ukraine is the country where many have roots, native cities, friends, ancestors’ graves, childhood memories.
Therefore, the podium in Pitești became something more than a table.
Israel won first place. Ukraine became the most medaled team. Together they made this championship special for people who live between two stories and understand the value of each victory.
Sport as a language of character
In combat sports, a medal is rarely beautiful only on the outside. Behind it are injuries, weight cutting, fear before the start, thousands of repetitions, lost fights, returning to the gym after failures, and work that the viewer never sees.
That is why the success of Israel and Ukraine at the European No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championship is perceived not as a random sports episode. It is a continuation of a broader story about the character of two societies.
Both countries know what it is like to live under pressure.
Both countries know what mobilization, anxiety, and the need to continue normal life where normalcy is constantly being destroyed are.
And both countries, through their athletes, showed: strength is measured not only by armies, diplomacy, and economy. Sometimes it is visible in the moment when an athlete steps onto the tatami, hears the referee’s signal, and does everything not to yield.
The final table of the European Championship in Pitești turned out to be symbolic. Israel is first. Ukraine is the most medaled. Between them is one gold medal, but not a chasm.
For spectators connected with both countries, this is not a story of division. It is a story of double pride.
And perhaps this is how sport sometimes speaks more accurately than politics: two teams competed under different flags, but for many people in Israel, they became part of one big story — a story of strength, resilience, and victory despite circumstances.