• Українська
  • Русский
  • English
Where there is no law, but every man does what is right in his own eyes, there is the least of real liberty
Henry M. Robert

Will Sambo Become An Olympic sport?

23 February, 1999 - 00:00

By Andriy BILEICHUK, special to The Day

Unarmed self-defense (sambo, acronym from the Russian) in Ukraine is a
somewhat unexplored but still a no less honored and respected sport. Moreover,
with due account of the tangible gains of Ukrainian competitors, this sport
has every right to be called national: after independence 612 medals have
been won at the biggest international tourneys. Our compatriots rank second
in the world table of ranks. In what other sport (and not only sport) are
there such brilliant and convincing results? Perhaps taking such consistent
success, Ukrainian Olympic Committee Chairman Ivan Fedorenko has included
sambo in the top-priority Olympic group, which makes the life of the Ukrainian
Sambo Federation much easier.

Training a good reserve is the guarantee of future victories. Guided
by this unbreakable principle, the federation held a Ukrainian sambo championship
among young people born in 1981-1982. Even in our times of economic instability
the sports complex at the Bohun Military Lyceum, which hosted the tournament
on January 29-31, drew 296 competitors from 18 oblasts. Do you need any
other proof of this sport's mass nature? President of the Sambo Federation
and chief coach of the Ukrainian national team Oleksandr Novokhatko was
satisfied with tournament results. "We saw in the younger generation a
deserving replacement for today's champions. Ruslan Lushchykov from Dnipropetrovsk
(75-kg weigh category) and Viktoriya Prydatko from Horlivka (the same category)
showed their true strength. A pleasant surprise came from Oleksandr Kuteiko
(Donetsk). The championship showed again that everything is decided on
the mat, so one should not put on airs and think he/she is invincible.
For sport is known to be unpredictable. This is what makes it beautiful,
after all."

The sambo wrestlers didn't have time to rest on their laurels: a championship
started in February 4 as part of the All-Ukrainian Summer Sport Games or
what is known here as the Spartakiad. It is symbolic that none other than
sambo wrestlers were to open such a well-respected competition. The point
was not only the successes of Ukrainian wrestlers but also in the fact
that shortly, on April 26, Bulgaria will host the European sambo championship
to be also attended by our national squad together with nineteen other
teams. Winners of the European competition will be automatically delegated
to the world championship in Spain slated for as late as October. Incidentally,
our athletes are determined to fight the Russians, their eternal rivals
(especially on the mat!) and leaders of world sambo.

It is not ruled out we will see our sambo wrestlers at the Salt Lake
City Olympics as early as 2004. No doubt, this will only increase the number
of various medals in the Ukrainian team's collection in geometric progression.

 

Issue: 
Rubric: