[Photo report]: Sambo wrestlers held a master class at the Moscow Zoo on International Tiger Day

Tigers around the world celebrated their professional holiday on July 29. Thousands of visitors led by loyal fans of the striped "cats" — children — came to the Moscow Zoo to congratulate the heroes of the day. The Amur Tiger Center organized a fun-filled entertainment and educational program for holiday visitors, and Sambo wrestlers gave demonstrations and held a master class. Here is a photo report from the event.

In March of this year, the tiger became the official mascot of FIAS; and on May 5, FIAS and the Amur Tiger Center signed a cooperation agreement. The aim of cooperation is to unite efforts to develop and promote Sambo, as well as to preserve and increase the numbers of the unique Amur tiger.

1. Have you ever had a chance to hug a tiger or dance with it? That's what the kids were able to do on International Tiger Day. A life-size figure of a tiger in a Sambo jacket always attracted the attention of children and adults.

 

2. The children gleefully took part in various competitions and activities and won prizes and gifts from the organizers. Backpacks stylized on tiger cubs were popular...

 

3. ... along with children's books about the Amur tiger...

 

4. ... and caps, booklets, magnets, pins and other FIAS souvenirs.

 

5. All the children rushed to hug the strong, friendly tiger in a Sambo uniform.

 

6. The kids had a chance to show their creativity in special workshops, where they painted figures of tigers, made striped whiskered toys out of straw and answered quiz questions.

 

7. They decorated a large plaster figure of a tiger throughout the day. The result was an image of habitat of Amur tigers. Incidentally, the Amur tiger is the largest and only tiger subspecies to adapt to life in the snow. Ninety-five percent of the world's Red Book population lives in the Far East. And Russia is one of the few countries where the number of striped predators is increasing every year.

 

8. Everyone, both big and small, wanted their picture taken with the tiger. There were different ways to do it.

 

9. A Sambo demonstration drew crowds of holiday visitors, even during the warm-up.

 

10. A lot of spectators were amazed that Sambo wrestlers could easily do the splits.

 

11. The Sambo wrestlers made shots and landed safely on the special coating. Igor Kurinnoy, a three-time Sambo World Champion and director of the Fighter sports school, commented on the event.

 

12. After the Sambo wrestlers had shown off their skills, the visitors were invited onto the mat. Under the guidance of professional athletes and coaches, the children learned how to perform the basic moves of Sambo, like rolls and "springboards" and how to fall with a self spot.

 

13. At the end of the master class, Kurinnoy summed up the results and invited all the kids to a Sambo workshop, and also reminded them that the tiger is the mascot of FIAS.

 

14. Volunteers from the Amur Tiger Center. They were ones who invited visitors to the Moscow Zoo on the holiday. Every year on July 29, International Tiger Day is celebrated around the world. One of the main purposes of the event is to inform the public about the disappearance of tigers and ways to protect them.

 

15. First Deputy General Director of the Amur Tiger Center Alexandra Vishnevskaya told reporters: "This year we spent the winter counting the Amur tiger. We do this once every 10 years. This time, we counted up to 520–540 individuals; we'll have the exact figure this fall. The situation has returned to normal, and I think our strategy to increase the population to 700 individuals by 2020 is a real possibility."

 

16. Renat Laishev, General Director of the Sambo-70 Sports and Education Center, acting President of the Moscow Sambo Federation, Moscow City Duma deputy, addressed the visitors to the event. He stressed the importance of working to preserve the Amur tiger population, and also mentioned the close relationship between Sambo, which originated in the Soviet Union, and the Amur tiger, which lives mainly in Russia.

 

17. An exciting Sambo demonstration took place in the evening of the holiday. Both experienced and novice Sambo wrestlers showed their skills in sports and combat Sambo.

 

18. Adults and children watched the Sambo demonstration with keen interest at the holiday in honor of International Tiger Day.

 

19. Souvenir photos:  Sambo wrestlers and the FIAS mascot — the Amur tiger.

 

Other photos from the event are available on the official FIAS Instagram.

Watch a video of the holiday here: