The President of the International Sambo Federation, Vasily Shestakov, said in an interview with Vestnik Kavkaza that the First European Games in Baku were a historic event.
- Please share your emotions about the First European Games in Baku.
- Actually, we are witnessing a historic event. It is the first time we have participated in such wide-scale championships, which are actually Olympic. Yes, we participate in competitions in Asia, at other championships, but I think that the European Games are a sign of sambo gaining Olympic recognition. We are ready to compete in such high level championships.
- Is a victory at the Games in Baku similar to a victory at the European Championships?
- We have our own rating. I think the world championship is the main benchmark for the evaluation of athletes' performance. However, after the appearance of the European Games, they will be taken into account as well. The Games have a very high rating.
- Are rivals who have come to the First European Games strong?
- 21 countries participated in the Games, compared with 37 countries taking part in the European championship. Of course we would like to have more categories; in this case more countries would participate in the Games. As weight categories are limited, the geography of the participants is not very broad. Many athletes who came from France and Serbia gave great performances, one of its girls won gold, Russia and Belarus are doing well, Azerbaijan won four silver medals. I think the result is great. It is a pity for Azerbaijan that they haven’t won gold medals, but four silver medals are also a nice result.
- What can you say about including sambo in the Olympic program in the vwry near future?
- We are working on getting the sport included in the Olympic program. We have sent a request to the IOC. A decision will be made in December. We hope it will be positive for us. There are two stages. The first stage is recognition of the sport as an Olympic one. The second stage is including it in the Olympic program. At the moment we are striving for recognition of sambo as an Olympic kind of sport.
- Will participation in the European Games in Baku help you in this business?
- Of course. The Asian Olympic Committee has already recognized the sports. I hope that in the very near future the European Olympic Committee will recognize sambo as well. The European Games are a step toward it.
- Do you think sambo will be included in the program of the Second European Games?
- If we gain recognition from the EOC, our chances will be very high. I should note that along with the geography of the participants, these Games are marked by great attention from the media and spectators. People were actively cheering for their athletes. The audience cheered all the athletes from all the countries. They supported the athletes so much. It means sambo is popular not only in Baku. For example, in Saint Petersburg there are many fans of sambo. The highlight of the competitions is the arrival of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his family to watch the competitions. We are proud that he came to watch sambo. He was pleased with the competition.
