Referee learn to referee sambo in a new way

Yesterday, on March 24, International Referee Sambo Workshop started in Moscow. More than 50 referees from 18 countries participate in the event, which takes place in the famous school “Sambo70”. The FIAS web-site learned about today’s workshop activity — on it’s the most eventful day, and found out how referees prepare for tomorrow exam and final certification. How the statistics can be taken when not attending the competition, why the number of referees from different countries shall be increased and what changes in the rules of sambo cause the greatest contradictions — the event attendees told about it to the FIAS website in the interview.

Representative of the Belorussian Referee School, Evgeniy Telyuk, for the first time attended International Referee Workshop under the guidance of FIAS:

“I have the most positive impressions! I like the organization of the event in the school “Sambo-70” and the material presentation by our lecturers. I would like to specifically note the secretarial practice, where we learn to work with the ProSambo program. I must say that its capabilities are really amazing — with the proper setting I can take statistics of three and even more mats with only one computer. At the same time I can be in a separate room not watching the competitions. I think this workshop will be very useful to me in terms of getting new knowledge and motivating for further development.”

The secretarial practice is lectured by the Principal of the sport school No. 55 “SKIF” Sergey Novik:

“My goal is to teach the operating skills with the ProSambo program and explain its structure. After this workshop the secretary will be able to create a tournament, to make planning and distribution of skirmishes on the mat, hold a competition and make a secretarial report. For the first time we held such training in the past year at the referees workshop in Cyprus. The participants of today's workshop are at the different levels. There are those who are already familiar with the program, and those who, figuratively speaking, looked over the shoulder at its operation, and those who came across it for the first time. However, the training will be useful for each of them — this program allows completely computerize the work of the secretary and to dispense with hard copies”.

While the secretaries actively work with the special program, the referees actively discuss the details of the sambo rules and changes in them. The experienced sambo referee Emin Rashi from Georgia told his opinion on the experimental sambo rules in his interview to the FIAS website:

“To be honest, the new rules still have some mistakes. I and representatives of other countries have already offered the chairman of the FIAS Referee Committee our adjustments. We judge from our referee experience and know how the situation normally goes on the mats. I think that one of the positive changes is the reduction of the number of points to win with clear advantage from 12 to 8. Thereby the meetings became more dynamic. I am also glad that the assessment of the activity was removed — formerly the athlete used to have 10–15 activities and none of the technical action. Is this beautiful?”

And his French colleague Allen Begue thinks that number of points’ reduction to win with clear advantage is wrong: 

“In general I support changes in the rules. As for the advantages in 12 or 8 points, our opinions with colleagues were divided. So, now you can make two holds, two actions - and the skirmish is finished. I think that it was necessary to make 10 points — it is the golden mean. There is another thing I do not support — it is new fixation of the moment of exceeding the mat. It is a matter of dispute; it does not require the changes, it would be better to leave everything as it was.

I have been engaged in sambo since 1984. Initially I attended this combat sport to learn to defend myself, and then I became interested in sambo as a sport, because my children attended it in the gym, and then I shifted to the refereeing. I had a chance to work as an internationally certified referee at about 50–55 international level competitions. Thanks to sambo I could learn Russian language, and it helps me to be in contact with young people. Besides, I personally translated the sambo rules from Russian into French — I hope this will be useful in France.”

Referee from Cameroon, Francois Nama, can also use sambo rules in French, translated by a native speaker. In his interview to the FIAS website he told about the target of his participation in the workshop: 

“My main goal is to successfully pass the exam and become an international arbiter. I hope that all the knowledge I received over the past two days, I can successfully learn and put into practice. I will do my best for that. As for the changes in the sambo rules, I think, that for a sport that is aimed at the international level, it is normal to improve the rules periodically in order to introduce something new. Personally, I'm glad that sambo develops and improves.”

Referee from Moldova, Mikhail Zhidelev, supports the idea that the need for changes in the rules brewed up long time ago:

“The need for changes in the rules brewed up - and now we see that it made the wrestle more spectacular. Perhaps, some details of the technical nature may not be changed, but the overall picture is not applied. Now the discussion of the rules is in progress, throughout the year we together with the referees and team representatives will be negotiate all the details and bring in changes. As for the workshop, I see there a lot of new faces. It's nice that our referee family is joined by new people. With increase of the number of countries cultivating sambo, the number of referees from them shall also increase. Not only athletes, but also the referees shall be from each country. Tomorrow the exam will show, if they can join our family, or they will need to learn more. At the certification we all need to show to the members of the examination commission that we are ready to referee under new rules.”

The overall picture of the workshop was outlined be the chairman of the FIAS referee board Evgeniy Selivanov:

“Since 2015 changes in the sambo rules came in effect, and we need to hold such workshops and explain to the referees the peculiarities of work in accordance with them. On the other hand, we decided to trial these rules throughout the year, so that they suit everyone. And now, in the course of the workshop different ideas for their improvement appear. We agreed with the referees so that they submit their offers in writing, and then we discuss them together. We want to discuss all the clauses of the rules. We have already held two international competitions and the largest in-Russian competitions; according to their results many of us formed own position on the new rules. We will discuss all pluses and minuses and make decisions.

As for the workshop, according to their results, many referees want to receive international category. It is also important to hold refereeing at the Kharlampiev Memorial World Cup at a high level. Therefore, we try to give as much as possible of the important material and, of course, we will ask the questions based on it. Questions at the exam will relate to the changes in the rules, because now we have to work in accordance to them. Tomorrow we will know who of the participants of the workshop will be ready for this.”