Sombo in USA with Josh Henson and Joe Neely

2014 

ARNOLD CLASSIC

SOMBO

WRESTLING

International Open

27 February till 2 March 

Columbus Ohio

It was great to see some of my old friends Josh Henson and Joe Neely from the USA still running major events. Sombo in the USA has been on the decline in the USA for well over a decade so it is great to see that those who started the sport in the USA and brought it to its peak in the 1980’s and early 1990’s have shown renewed vigour in promoting Sombo.

I can remember when Sombo was affiliated to the AAU they would get up to 300 kids at a tournament, they ran a FIAS World Championship as well as a World Open. Although no longer with the AAU they have aligned themselves with USA Wrestling the Olympic recognised body for Wrestling in the USA and it is also great news that Wrestling has remained in the Olympic. In 1990 at the World Championships in Moscow Joe and Josh brought a team/delegation of over 50 people to this event lets hope this type of participation from the USA returns. With some new amendments to the FIAS statutes being discussed and voted on at the FIAS World Congress this could happen I refer to:

 Proposed amendments to FIAS Statutes

 4.2 Each country shall be represented by only one National Federation/ The latter shall be recognized by the National Olympic Committee and/or the highest sports authority of the corresponding country. (in the absence of such bodies state registration is sufficient)

18.1 The President of a National SAMBO Federation as well as any other person who has submitted written recommendations corresponding to his/her nationality to the National SAMBO Federation. All candidates to the Executive Committee shall be citizens of the country the National SAMBO Federation of which presented their candidatures. Applications for election to the Executive Committee shall be submitted to the Executive Committee not later than 2 (two) months before the date of the meeting of the Congress.

Josh is no stranger to FIAS he was a founder member of the organisation in 1984, became the 2^nd President after Fernando Compte. Fernando and Josh had Sombo included in the World Games and the Pan American Games plus represented FIAS on GIASF Now called SportAccord.

I am meeting up with Josh in Russia at the special FIAS Congress in October and expect to have a real good catch up, he has already told me that they have another major event lined up to be held in Los Vegas, wouldn’t it be great to have these two events on the FIAS calendar