All Medalists Become Gold Winners at the International USA Open SAMBO Cup

The International USA Open SAMBO Cup took place on April 5 in Atlanta, Georgia. The tournament, which featured athletes from seven countries, included both Sport SAMBO and Combat SAMBO competitions. During the award ceremony, participants were met with an unexpected surprise: all medalists received gold medals, regardless of their placement.

“I believe this moment will go down in history as a symbolic gesture,” said Mikhail Kozitsky, First Vice President of USA Sambo Inc. “Since 1989, when the World SAMBO Championships were held in Newark, no event under the auspices of the International SAMBO Federation had taken place on U.S. soil. It is incredibly important for us that, after 36 years, we were able to organize and host the USA Open SAMBO Cup together with FIAS. We consider this a major milestone, and every medalist is a true winner in the mission of promoting SAMBO across the North American continent.”

Kozitsky clarified that certificates indicating actual placements (1st, 2nd, 3rd) were still awarded to the athletes.

The tournament venue was the conference hall of the Marriott Hotel in Georgia, chosen for its convenient location near the Atlanta Airport and walking distance from several hotels – making it easily accessible for participants.

Throughout the day, USA Sambo Inc., the national SAMBO federation, hosted several competitions.

Before the start of the international tournament, the same venue held the U.S. National SAMBO Championships, which served as a qualifier for the national team ahead of the upcoming season.

According to the organizing committee, over 90 SAMBO athletes from across the U.S. took part in the national event.

One of the highlights of the championships was the presentation of the Wolf Sharkansky “Best Technique” Award, which was given to Antonio Pena from Texas for his outstanding performance in the Men’s Sport SAMBO -79 kg category.

The award was presented by Roman Zinder, General Secretary of USA Sambo Inc. and a student of Wolf Sharkansky.

The day after the tournaments was dedicated to education. FIAS Executive Director Sergey Tabakov led a technical seminar for athletes and coaches, focusing on SAMBO grip techniques and groundwork combat strategies.

The seminar brought together 20 SAMBO athletes from various countries, each eager to absorb valuable lessons from the mat.

“These past few days, during which we organized both competitions and an educational seminar together with FIAS, will undoubtedly mark an important milestone in the development of international SAMBO in the United States,” Kozitsky emphasized. “I am confident that this tournament will become an annual event, and it has every potential to achieve World Cup status. We will actively work to make that happen.”