Alexander KHLOPETSKY: Messi, Ronaldo, and Neymar of SAMBO Will Arrive at the Cup Of Baltic Countries

The Cup Of Baltic Countries in Sport and Combat SAMBO in Memory of Anatoly Khlopetsky will be staged in Kaliningrad on April 20. This year, competitions that have started since 2016 will be held in the status of an international B-series tournament for the first time. Another innovation will be the change of it venue: from Minor Hall of the "Amber" Sports Palace the Cup will move to the "Constellation" multipurpose sports arena.

'It seemed to us that it would be more comfortable for athletes in the new arena, its also easier for spectators to get there, and for us organizers, its much easier to arrange the show there,' commented Alexander Khlopetsky, Anatoly Khlopetskys son, one of the organizers of the tournament, in his interview to a local TV company. - Real SAMBO stars will come around here: to compare it with football, Messi, Ronaldo, and Neymar of SAMBO will perform at this tournament. These are the strongest sambists of their countries. While at the World SAMBO Championships only one member of a weight category from each country is allowed, the five-six strongest athletes in each class will come to us. Therefore, the tournament is not inferior, and in some weight categories it will certainly exceed the competitive level of the World SAMBO Championships.

According to him, the representatives of Belarus, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, and Estonia will take part in the Cup of the Baltic countries this year.

'Owing to the fact that the Cup has acquired the status of an international B-category tournament, athletes will score points for the titles of Masters of Sports, Masters of Sports of International Class and so on,' says Vladimir Khlopetsky, Alexander's brother, who heads the Kaliningrad SAMBO and Judo Federation and also acts as an organizer of the competitions. - Previously, we used to invite sambists to our tournament, and now the athletes themselves are willing to join it: Our Cup is included in the calendars of the International, European, and All-Russian SAMBO Federations. Furthermore, we offer quite a considerable prize fund, so athletes come not only for points, but also to earn some money.

The Khlopetsky brothers strive to make the tournament one of the best on the continent and set a goal for the Cup to get the international A class. But the main reason why they carry out these competitions is to honor the memory of their father, Anatoly Petrovich Khlopetsky.

'The most important thing that my father taught my brother and me was to stay human. Always act according to your conscience, act for the sake of good,' recalls Vladimir.

'He always used to give this example: imagine you have two apples, a big one and a small one. Which of them will you leave for yourself, and which will you give to your friend? Dad always said that you should give a big one to your friend, and leave a small one to yourself. And that's the piece of advice we try to follow in our lives,' shares Alexander.

All the sport fans are invited to follow the 2019 Baltic Cup fights live via online broadcast of the competition that will be shown on the FIAS website. The start of the tournament's preliminaries is scheduled for 10:00, while the opening ceremony and the finals will begin at 16:00, Kaliningrad time.

[VIDEO] Cup Of Baltic Countries in Sport and Combat SAMBO in Memory of Anatoly Khlopetsky 2017