Sambo in Beijing

Sambo - in BeijingIn 2007 SportAccord offered to arrange a new kind of competitions - the Combat Games. The basic idea of this event is to unite 13 types of single combats into the Unique complex. There are Muaythai, Sambo, Judo, Karate, Wushu, Kickboxing, Boxing, Sumo, Aikido, Ju-Jitsu, Kendo, Taekwondo, Wrestling among them.
All the contest principles and terms were arranged. In April 2010 on the Conference in Dubai each of 13 federations signed the Agreement with SportAccord concerning their participation in the Combat Games.

According to the Agreement between FIAS and SportAccord, our federation formed the strong delegation for participation. It consists of athletes from 35 countries, referees, coaches, directors and representatives of the Continental and National Sambo Federations, the chiefs of FIAS.
During the Games FIAS has managed to hit the target of presentation of Sambo as a picturesque, bright, attractive sport.
While preparing for the Games we have paid much attention to all the presentation points: opening and praising ceremonies, demonstration performances, all special devices, delegation equipment. For example, each athlete is given a double Sambo uniform from FIAS.
During the Games Opening day, the 3rd of September the entire hall for 6000 persons of China Agricultural University Gymnasium was overcrowded. The beautiful parade took place. The President of FIAS Vasiliy Shestakov delivered the salutatory address:
"The First SportAccord Combat Games are a unique and symbolic event in the global sports movement. Their 13 combat sports and martial arts are united by a single concept conceived and implemented by SportAccord. This concept provides for cultural harmonization and enrichment, offering new opportunities and perspectives to the world of sports".
"I believe that Sambo is one of the most emotional, coloruful and harmonious sports. It is devoid of any intrinsic aggression. On the contrary, it is the best self-defense system in the world which makes it possible for any man or woman to defend his or her rights and dignity, and also to defend and protect the weaker ones; thus Sambo makes a significant contribution to the global culture of human relations".
"Our objective is to join the global Olympic family. We aim at being included into the official programmer of the Olympic Games".
Vasiliy Shestakov's speech (full text)
Antonio Espinoza, the vice-president of SportAccord, and the Sambo star Fedor Yemelyanenko welcomed all who were present. Fedor was in the extraordinary role of the FIAS Ambassador during the Combat Games, he was the face of Sambo. He wished to the athletes the fair play and to the spectators - the colorful sport holyday.
The Opening ceremony was continued by the demonstration performances. For 20 minutes the spectators watched the skillful performance of the artistic athletes from the group of the dancers "Triumph" and of the sambists from the Russian State University of physical culture, sports and tourism and of the famous Educational Centre "Sambo-70".
The synthesis of plastic art, flexibility, beauty of the sportsmen, the expressive style of the sambists who demonstrated just madly beautiful technique with great amplitude was magical.
The girls presented the two solo dances - "The pure rush" and "Yin Yang". "The pure rush" performed in the costumes stylized for the Sambo uniform expressed the essence of the combats, the eagerness to achieve the maximum in the development.
The second dance "Yin Yang" was performed with the soundtrack to the movie "Angels and demons". The black and white costumes symbolized unity and struggle of opposites.
Then the athletes performed dances of different countries, and the sambists did the same thing on the language of Sambo. The spectators watched bright element of the struggle of Georgia, Uzbekistan and China. The Chinese spectators were impressed much by the performance of the girls accompanied by the popular Chinese melody in the traditional red costumes embroidered with gold. The sambists impressed by the Shuay-Jao wrestling well-known in China and reminding Sambo.
The hall welcomed standing the extraordinary performance, at the end of which the athletes performed the potpourri consisting of the most elements of Sambo. The cascade of amplitude strokes, complex acrobatic tricks, powerful strokes, painful and chokeholds elements contained the image of the opportunities of Sambo.
During the first day the medals were drawn in the three weight categories: Sport Sambo - women, 56 kg; Sport Sambo - men, 68 kg; Combat Sambo - 74 kg.
In woman nobody could fight the European Champion 2010 - Marianna Alieva, Russia. She won the sambist Karina Stefanova (Bulgaria).
In men sport Sambo Damir Muhidov (Uzbekistan) gained the victory in the fight with the Kazakh athlete. It is in Uzbekistan where the XXXIV World Sambo Championship will take place in November 2010.
The third place was won by the Korean Kwan Sub Kim, who made such a pleasant present for his birthday.
In Combat Sambo the three time division European Champion Bair Omoktuev was the sensational winner. He reached the victory over the two times division World Champion Rumen Dimitrov (Bulgaria).
The first day of Sambo Competitions (video-materials).
The second day brought the sport Sambo champions in the weight categories 90 kg (in men), 64 kg (in women), +100 kg (Combat Sambo).
The European Champion Ekaterina Onoprienko (Russia) won a victory over Olena Sayko (Ukraine), Akobir Kurbanov (Uzbekistan) gained a victory over the Greek athlete, and Stefan Yanosch (Germany) celebrated a victory over the three times division World Champion Alexander Yemelyanenko.
Six medal complete sets were drawn during the two days of competitions in Sambo.
The countries which won medals in Sambo:
Russia - 3 gold, 1 silver medal;
Uzbekistan - 2 gold ones;
Germany - 1 gold medal;
Bulgaria - 2 silver ones;
Greece - 1 silver medal;
Ukraine - 1 silver medal;
Kazakhstan - 1 silver medal;
The Republic of Lithuania - 2 bronze ones;
Korea - 1 bronze medal;
The Republic of Belarus - 1 bronze medal;
Romania - 1 bronze medal;
Moldavia - 1 bronze medal.
Russia is the motherland of Sambo, and Russia managed to win a victory over the strongest Chinese athletes.
Chinese sportsmen were the leaders till the last day of the Games while the athletes from 104 countries fought for victory. But the Russian athletes proved that they are the best on the World Combats forum. There are 18 medals won (three of which belong to the sambists), China won three medals less.
The Combat Games in Beijing have undoubtedly become the holyday of the modern sports. Notwithstanding of quantity and quality of medals and the amount of scores, the Games have united the athletes of different countries and sports.
Athletes are speaking:
Onoprienko (Russia). The Games Champion, Sport Sambo, weight category - 64 kg.
Concerning the victory:
I'm very happy.
Concerning the final fight:
This fight was the final one and that's why it was very hard. My rival and me both were eager to win and were very careful. In spite of the small gap in the score (1:0) it was the remarkable fight.
Bair Omoktuev (Russia). The Games Champion, Combat Sambo, weight category - 74 kg.
I feel all right. I aimed to win a gold medal and find this victory just. Now I can take my time and have a rest.
Concerning the gold medal:
It's splendid. I have not many ones; this medal is of great importance for me.
Marianna Alieva (Russia). The Games Champion, Sport Sambo, weight category 56 kg.
I'm happy to be the one who won the gold medal for Russia. I hit the target while participating in the Combat Games.
Concerning trainings:
I have been training much. I have done the great preparations.
Concerning Sambo:
Sambo is the Russian national sport. Russia is the leader in it, and we must hold our position.
The press-conference of the FIAS President during the Combat Games aroused the huge interest among the journalists. It took place when all the competitions were finished in the main press-centre of the China Agricultural University Gymnasium.
The first Games Champions attended the conference.
Vasiliy Shestakov expressed his idea of Sambo while turning to its history, perspectives and the future of the sport. The FIAS President raised the question of forming the modern image, the face of Sambo speaking on the choice of Sambo development ways in the world. Shestakov remarked it's impossible to move on without China. It's very important to develop Sambo in this country. Shestakov made it his aim to mark the ways of dealing with the question.
Both the President and the athletes aroused admiration within journalists by their sincerity and open-hearted welcome. The atmosphere during the conference was very easy, there were lots of jokes. The congratulations with birthdays added charm to the meeting. The FIAS President congratulated Yevgeniy Stoyanov from Slovenia and the Korean athlete Kwangsub Kim on behalf of the International Amateur Sambo Federation and presented them the memorable prizes.
The Press-Conference was the main theme if lots of the Chinese Mass Media.
The press-conference of the FIAS President (video-materials)
At the Combat Games SportAccord managed not only to solve the questions concerning sports, but also others. For example, on the 1st of September the Congress of FIAS opened. The decision was accepted to register FIAS in Switzerland with the headquarters in Lausanne.
On the 31st of August the meeting of the FIAS President with President of SportAccord Hein Verbruggen took place. They discussed the successful activity of FIAS to spread and to develop Sambo all over the world, the peculiarities of the Combat Games, the organization and the perspectives of arranging the second Combat Games in 2013.
During the meeting with the President of Chinese Olympic Committee Liu Peng, Shestakov discussed the opportunity to develop Sambo in China. The discussion was fruitful and amicable. Some steps were planned to develop Sambo in China.
During the Combat Games in the hotel "Friendship" where the athletes were settled "The Russian House" was welcoming the guests. It was the place where you might come to have a rest, to listen to the music, to congratulate the Russian athletes and to communicate with interesting people and journalists.
On the 2nd of September Fedor Yemelyanenko, the FIAS Ambassador became the star of "The Russian House". The only fact of his presence aroused delight in the delegation. Fedor is the modern sports legend, the strong and noble athlete, no wonder he aroused sincere interest. Many interview, autographs, congratulations from the participants, chats with the fans… The interest demonstrated by the others to Fedor proved he was the real "image of the Games", "the face of Sambo".
The FIAS delegation couldn't help paying much attention to the culture and the sights of China. The special cultural program was generated, according to which the sambists could see the architecture monument which is the part of the World UNESCO inheritance - the Great China Wall.
"The 8th Wonder of the World" impressed everyone. It can't be watched by the eye from the Orbital Station, but is watched on the satellite photos. This excursion was full of slopes and ascents, taking pictures, conversations, jokes. In the end it not only filled people with emotions and impressions, but also united the multinational sambists association.
FIAS according to the Games plan arranged the reception. Over 100 guests gathered in the hotel "Intercontinental". There were vice-mayor of Beijing Liu Jingming, President of SportAccord Hein Verbruggen, the International Federations representatives, the public men, athletes, politicians, journalists.
Vasiliy Shestakov said while delivering the speech:
"The First SportAccord Combat Games 2010in Beijing are indeed a milestone in the development of the international sports movement. For the first time in sports history competitions are being held in such an attractive format. This is a brilliant initiative - the idea of uniting martial arts and combat sports of the whole world, of their interaction and mutual enrichment. It is both the idea and its implementation that I find most attractive: SportAccord and the city of Beijing are demonstrating top performance, and the level of the Games is indeed impressive".
…"As you are probably aware, Sambo was born in Russia, and in this connection we at the International Amateur Sambo Federation, have suggested an idea of hosting the next edition of the Games in Russia, in the city of Sochi. I made this proposal of organizing the second SportAccord Combat Games in Russia, and it was approved and supported by the leaders of my country".
…"There is an old Russian saying which is most appropriate here: It is only with his (own) feet that a man cuts through the path he follows. I believe that the Combat Games 2010 in Beijing are a first step along the path leading to top performance on a global scale, to the promotion of sports values in society and that in its turn will contribute to the implementation of our grand task which is the development of mass sports".
Vasiliy Shestakov's speech (full text)
Hein Verbruggen remarked that Sambo is worthy of the place it keeps. And what is very important - he supported the appeal of Russia to accept the Second Combat Games SportAccord in 2013.
Vice-Mayor of Beijing Liu Jingming expressed his admiration and wished to FIAS and its President Vasiliy Shestakov success in new achievements of what had been planned.
The picturesque moment of the reception was the exhibition of the photos and videomaterials concerning Sambo and FIAS which were demonstrated on large screens. The lively and friendly atmosphere was among the guests. There were a lot of smiles, laughing, jokes, and this fact proved that the reception was a success.