Digest of the week: internal evaluations in Russia, undertake in Britain and other news

Who will join the Russian team at the World and European Championships? What shocked Martin Clarke, the British SAMBO Federation President? How old is the youngest member of the German SAMBO Championship? Why is Minsk Open Cup in Combat SAMBO significant? The answers to these and other questions you can find in the digest of FIAS site.

Russia

The Russian team continues to recruit athletes to the national teams to participate in the World and European Championships. Teams in combat SAMBO were defined previously, and from 7 to 10 March in Khabarovsk teams in sport SAMBO among men were formed at the National Championship. At the bottom of the SAMBO athletes selection who will take part in major starts of the year, there is a sports principle: the winners of the National Championship will go for fighting to the World Cup in St. Petersburg, and silver medalists will participate in the European Championship in the Italian city of Crema.

According to the official site of the Russian Championship, at the competitions in Khabarovsk the best in their weight categories were: Igor Beglerov (up to 52 kg), Aymergen Atkunov (up to 57 kg), Ilya Khlybov (up to 62 kg), Evgeny Sukhomlinov (up to 68 kg), Ali Kurzhev (up to 74 kg), Sergey Ryabov (up to 82 kg), Arsen Khanjian (up to 90 kg), Vyacheslav Mikhailin (up to 100 kg) and Evgeny Isaev (over 100 kg). Now they have to prepare for the World Championship, which will be held from 21 to 25 November. Silver medalists of the Russian Championship – Vasily Karaulov (up to 52 kg), Albert Mongush (up to 57 kg), Aslan Mudranov (up to 62 kg), Nikita Kletskov (up to 68 kg), Wali Kurzhev (up to 74 kg), Michail Polyanskov (up to 82 kg), Pavel Rumyantsev (up to 90 kg), Artyom Osipenko (up to 100 kg), Vitaliy Minakov (over 100 kg) – were included in the national team which will participate in the European Championship from 17 to 21 May.

Germany

According to www.eurosambo.com on March 2 in the German Itzehoe the German Championship in sport SAMBO took place, it was attended by athletes of all ages and weight categories. It’s wonderful that the youngest SAMBO athletes who came to the wrestling carpets, were under 13 years old – both boys and girls. We were also pleased with the massive representation of men in the “adult” weight categories. However, in some age groups the first places were got without a fight because of a small number of participants.

United Kingdom

The international tournament in sport and combat SAMBO All England Open which was announced earlier and had to be held in Sittingbourne on March 10, was canceled due to the lack of sufficient number of athletes who had sent applications to participate in the competitions. Such sad news came from Martin Clarke, the President of the British SAMBO Federation (BSF). “I was shocked when we had to cancel the Championship – he wrote on the website www.britishsombo.co.uk. – We were particularly surprised by the fact that no one wanted to take part in the combat disciplines rapidly gaining popularity – grappling and combat SAMBO. The coach of our national team in combat SAMBO Alan Klarkin who devoted more than 40 years of his life to martial arts, was simply stunned by the fact that no one had applied for participation in the Championship”.

Martin Clark also points out that the cancellation of the British Open Championship had a negative effect on the national team in combat SAMBO: “The Tournament in Sittingbourne would be the key in the selection of athletes for the European Championship-2013 in Italy. But now Alan Klarkin, in all probability, will have to form a team in combat SAMBO of those who played for Great Britain at the World Championship in Minsk (Belarus) last year. As for evaluations for the World Martial Arts Games and the World Championship in St. Petersburg, it will be held on the basis of the British Open Championship which is organized by Russell Dodds in Bedford in June”.

Ukraine

The Ukrainian SAMBO Championship among juniors was held on February 18-20 in Sports complex Musson in the city of Sevastopol, reports www.nfsu.ho.ua. The tournament was attended by more than 240 SAMBO athletes from 17 regions of the Ukraine. 27 sets of medals in sport and combat SAMBO have been played for two days. As a result, SAMBO athletes from Kiev won the first place in the team event, the second were the athletes from the Autonomous Region of Crimea, the third – are those from the Kharkov region.

Also note that at the solemn ceremony of the Championship opening the Certificate of Honour of the Ukrainian SAMBO Federation for outstanding contributions in the development and popularization of SAMBO was awarded to the honoured coach of the Ukraine, one of the founders of SAMBO in Sevastopol Vladimir Vasilyevich Protopopov. The Certificate was handed to him by Vice-President of the Ukrainian SAMBO Federation Vadim Rogach.

Belarus

March 2, 2013 in the capital of Belarus Minsk Open Cup in combat SAMBO was held according to www.combat-sambo.by. The strongest SAMBO athletes from various cities of the country took part in the tournament. The winners and prize-winners were determined in six different weight categories. The tournament can be called a major step forward for the Belarusian Combat SAMBO Federation which has existed for just over a year. “Earlier there worked a lot of people who do not refer to our martial arts at all, in other words – outspoken charlatans, in Minsk under the same brand, advertised as combat SAMBO. We have completely different goals: we are working on the development and popularization of combat SAMBO”, – comments on Vakhtang Sokhadze, the Chairman of the Belarusian Combat SAMBO.

The Netherlands

In the Netherlands SAMBO athletes are waiting for the National Open Championship. From 15 to 16 March the Dutch, as well as representatives of other countries will be competing in sport and combat SAMBO. Traditionally, in the Netherlands they expect SAMBO athletes from England, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, France, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Scotland, and Estonia. The details of the Regulations can be found on the page of the tournament in FIAS calendar.

Prepared by Aleksandr Solomakhin
www.sambo.sport