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 and a sign of sambo gaining Olympic recognition.
The world championship, in his words, is the main benchmark for the evaluation of athletes' performance. He reminded that 21 countries participated in the Games, compared with 37 countries taking part in the European championship. Shestakov said that many athletes came from France, Serbia showed a great performance, one of its girls won gold, Russia and Belarus are doing well, Azerbaijan won four silver medals.
The head of the International Sambo Federation said that his organization was working on getting the sport included in the Olympic program. A decision will be made in December. The Asian Olympic Committee has already recognized the sports.
Shestakov emphasized the number of spectators at the European Games. People were actively cheering for their athletes. The Games are even being broadcast in Saint Petersburg, he notes. The highlight of the competitions today is the arrival of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his family to watch the competitions, according to Vasily Shestakov.
