HLO History page
Helsinki Longsword Open 2026
23.-25.1.2026
Information about the 2027 competition here.
Photos
Photos by Nina Lehtonen
https://hkiopev-y.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/lehtnin_edu_hel_fi/IgBhjsFcrgQcQ6EmzM3SO4QdARZtt8S4ZdMgU4Iti4jnBu8
You are free to use these materials for non-commercial purposes.
When sharing on social media, please credit Instagram: @visionxnina
For other uses, please credit Photographer Nina Lehtonen
General information
EHMS will host the eleventh Helsinki Longsword Open on the 23th and 24th of January 2026. This year we will be hosting a total of six competitions:
Open Longsword (216 spots)
Women's+ Longsword (72 spots)
Open Sabre (BYOS - 90 spots)
Women's+ Sabre (BYOS - 18 spots)
Open Rapier & Dagger (BYOS - 60 spots)
Open Longsword Cutting (40 spots)
Swords will be provided for the Longsword tournaments. Sabre and Rapier & Dagger will be done on a Bring Your Own Steel (BYOS) basis.
Registration will open on Tuesday 23th September at 19:00 (Finnish time, EEST) on Hemagon
Venue info
The tournament will take place at Ruskeasuon liikuntapuisto. This is the same venue that has hosted the Helsinki Longsword Open the past several years. The address is Ratsastie 10, 00280 Helsinki. The venue can be reached by several bus lines (bus stop Tilkka) and the tram line 10. There is plenty of parking available. Parking is free, but restricted to 4 hours.
The traditional socialising and sparring on the Sunday (25th of January) following the competitions will also take place at Ruskeasuon liikuntapuisto.
Ruskeasuon liikuntapuisto
Ratsastie 10,
00280 Helsinki
Accommodation
We have managed to secure a 30% discount at VALO Hotel near the venue, so if you’re looking for comfortable accommodation this may be a good solution for you. VALO Hotel is located at Mannerheimintie 109, a brisk 1.4 km/0.9 mi walk from the venue.
Book your room at the hotel’s website: https://valo.fi/en/hotel/
The discount is valid for stays from January 22nd to January 26th (Thursday to Monday)
Rules and gear requirements
The rules for all weapons, including gear requirements, can be found here.
Livestream
The event will be fully streamed on our YouTube channel.
Insurance
EHMS will not provide insurance for the event. We highly recommend getting a sports insurance that covers full contact martial arts in a competition setting. Note that Finland does not have a national HEMA association, which is something some insurers may ask about.
First aid
There will be first aid staff on site during the event.
Contact info
You can contact the organisers by email at hlo(at)ehms.fi, through the Facebook event page or on the EHMS Discord channel.
Payment and registration
Registration will be open until 18.1.2026 (if there are free spots), on Hemagon
The pricing of the event is as follows:
First tournament you enroll in: 80 €
Any subsequent tournament: 45 €
For example, if you participate in Open Longsword, Women’s+ Longsword and Cutting, you pay 80 + 45 + 45 = 170 euro.
We will send bills per email based on your registration.
The registration will not be considered confirmed until payment has been received! The bill will have a due date 14 days from the date it is sent. The bills will be sent in batches, so don’t worry if you don’t receive yours right away. Note that if you neglect to pay the bill within two weeks, you will be moved to the waitlist. Please contact us if you have questions regarding billing.
We will not issue refunds after 15.12.2025.
All participants must be at least 18 years old.
There is no automatic confirmation email – you can see your registration through your Hemagon profile.
We welcome spectators to the event for free!
T-shirt and hoodie
We will also have kickass (technical, quickdry 100% polyester) T-shirts and (zip) hoodies that you can order during registration!
The cost will be 25 € for the T-shirt and 55 € for the hoodie. Both will be black, with the HLO26 logo on the front, on the left side, and this year’s picture (see below) on the back.
Size chart below – “pituus” = length, “leveys” = width.
Size chart below – “pituus” = length, “leveys” = width.
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