World Cup Stage "A. Kharlampiev Memorial" - Soon in Moscow

World Cup Stage "A. Kharlampiev Memorial" to be held in Moscow on March 25-26 is dedicated to the memory of Anatoly Kharlampiev - one of the founders of SAMBO. He was one of the people who stood at the origins of SAMBO - the martial art now developed in 84 countries of the world. The Moscow Stage is one of the four held this year. Following the results of all stages, FIAS will determine the winners of World Cup 2012 (in each weight category of men's and women's sport SAMBO) who will be given prize money and memorable gifts. The tournament dedicated to the memory of A. Kharlampiev was established in the year of Olympic Games in Moscow and first held on October 10-11, 1980 in the Universal Sports Hall "Druzhba" ("Friendship"). This year, there will be no break in tradition: "Druzhba" will host the Moscow World Cup Stage, too. As of today, more than 250 athletes and 20 national teams from all over the world confirmed their participation in the tournament. Among them are Italy, Estonia, France, India, Kazakhstan, Korea, Mongolia, Turkmenistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Greece, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Spain, Ukraine, Turkey and Russia. FIAS President Vasily Shestakov commented on the upcoming World Cup Stage in Moscow: "Anatoly Kharlampiev was one of the founding fathers of SAMBO. I still remember the moment when he prized me, a young athlete who won the 2nd place in the USSR SAMBO Championship. Meeting people of such caliber always gives one a motivation to move on. It is remarkable that we still cherish the memory of Anatoly Arkadievich and, what is more important, we are continuing his life-work: developing and improving our favorite sport - SAMBO!" Note: Anatoly Kharlampiev - one of the founders of SAMBO - came of a unique family. His grandfather was a great gymnast and knuckle fighter who had collected, studied and classified various fighting, wrestling and self-defense techniques for many years. His father was a Boxing Champion of France and Europe in absolute category, the forebear of Russian and then Soviet box school. Anatoly Arkadievich started his sports career at the age of six when he performed an aerial gymnastics show in the circus. Later, he made himself master of French wrestling, English and French boxing; he went in for fencing, jogging, and was an excellent acrobat. Anatoly Kharlampiev studied national fighting systems of the peoples of the USSR, systematized their techniques and methods; he studied judo under the guidance of Vasily Oshchepkov who had lived in Japan for a long time and graduated from the Kodokan Institute. In 1938, when SAMBO was officially recognized, A. Kharlampiev became the head of the SAMBO Federation. A. Kharlampiev wrote many books on the theory and practice of SAMBO training, the organizer of many referee and coaching seminars and training sessions for athletes. Anatoly Kharlampiev made great efforts to establish, develop and improve SAMBO; thanks to that, this martial art was recognized as international sport in 1966.