Sara Kovacs Middleton

4th Dan Shodokan Aikido practitioner and instructor · UK and international competitor

Drop a full-length photo of Sara

Sara has trained and competed in Shodokan Aikido for many years, in the UK and internationally, earning her 4th Dan and a world-championship medal along the way. Aikido has given her satisfaction, experience and joy throughout her life.

In July 2025, Sara was diagnosed with stage 4 endometrial cancer, giving her a one-year survival chance of 30–40%. A year later the cancer metastasised to her brain — a 1–3% occurrence — and she has now been given six months to live if treatment is successful.

Facing this diagnosis, Sara saw an opportunity to give back to the people she admires and cares about most, by establishing a scholarship fund for women in the sport. The Fund is run under both her maiden name (Kovacs) and married name (Middleton) — it mattered to her that this achievement be recognised under her Hungarian identity as well.

That urgency is why the Fund exists now rather than someday. Sara is racing to put it on solid footing — with trustees, an advisory panel, and its first grantees already in place — while she still can lead it herself.

Fund objectives

Everything the Fund does works toward these goals.

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Promote and increase the participation of women in Shodokan Aikido — particularly single mothers and others facing financial disadvantage

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Support female practitioners’ technical development, including grading progression, competition training, and refereeing skills

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Provide scholarships and bursaries enabling women to train at Osaka Honbu Dojo

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Assist women who run Aikido clubs through equipment grants, travel assistance, and operational aid

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Establish and maintain a structured inter-club competition programme

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Strengthen the relationship between Shodokan Aikido UK and the Honbu Dojo in Osaka and Tokyo

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Support the participation of Nariyama Shihan, Omori Shihan, and Sakai Shihan in this programme

Advisory panel

Sara Kovacs Middleton

4th Dan

Vanda Fairchild

5th Dan

Marie Louise Parkin

4th Dan

Equality for women in this sport isn’t abstract to Sara — it’s the throw she’s practiced her whole life. Help her finish it.

Donate Now

The Kovacs Middleton Fund