There are both men's and women's competitions. The first European Championships were held in 1948 in Italy (men) and in 1949 in Czechoslovakia (women). The initial gap between championships was variable, but since 1975 they have been held every two years. Russia ( formal USSR) is the nation that won the most gold medals in this tournaments with 13 times winning the highest position in the competition, the 2^nd position in the medal table belongs to Italy with 6 times winning.