Medals to the National Team, and Whistle to the Militia Officer 

The Day met with the head coach of our wrestlers, first deputy president of the International Unarmed Self-Defense Federation Oleksandr Naukhatko.

Oleksandr Korniyovych, we are always seeing the back of our big brother. Are not you tired of this? Can't you do anything to defeat him?

Of course we can. This year in Siauliai our girls won first place. But tell me how can we do it regularly, if there is three times more sports schools in Kstovo district of Nizhegorod oblast than in the whole Ukraine. Russian athletes came there with three full-value rosters, when we managed to send only five players to the championship at the expense of Sports Committee. And the rest team members had to get there by any means, fair or foul.

There's no cloud without a silver lining.

Yes, young Ihor Kovaliov of Kharkiv placed second (100 kg. category, weighing in at 93), and Ihor Matsei of Kramatorsk, senior coach of the female team, placed third.

As far as I know, Matsei enjoyed double success in the tournament.

His student Mykhailo Bakin gave him a real present by winning the title of World Champion. Viktor Savynov of Kharkiv brought Ukrainian team another gold medal. I would also like to make special mention of Ruslan Zadvornov, the winner of the World Cup, who had broken a rib in the very first fight, but continued to compete and came in second.

The Ukrainian team received two medals made out of pure gold in the Junior World Championship held in Krasnoyarsk. Now you are rumored to have received something else.

It is not me, it is our referee of international category Marsel Khasanov, who is actually a militia colonel, made it into the ten best referees of the world and was awarded with the a whistle. So address all your questions to him.

It is rather scary to approach the law enforcer. Would you tell us about the season's end?

There are two events left - the Students' World Championship in Italy and sixtieth anniversary of unarmed self-defense as a sport.

As head coach of the World Team, which will compete with the Russian national team on November 13 in Kstovo?

Savinov and Zadvorny of Ukraine made it into the starting line-up. There will also be Japanese, Mongolian, Belarus, Armenian, and Azerbaijani wrestlers.

And what will be the result?

We won't come in second.