The International Sambo Federation (FIAS) has obtained full recognition of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). This decision has been made at the IOC session held on July 20 in Tokyo (Japan) on the eve of the start of the Olympic Games. Here is how FIAS President Vasily Shestakov commented on the event:
– Today a true joyful moment has come to our big SAMBO family. FIAS received provisional IOC recognition three years ago, and during this time we’ve had to prove to the whole world and ourselves that we deserve more. This period coincided with a difficult situation in the world – the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected all aspects of life, including organizing and conducting of sports events. But we have learned to work in crisis conditions, adapt to various restrictions and conduct international tournaments under unconventional conditions. At first, the mission seemed impossible, nevertheless, joint efforts let us manage. This became possible largely due to the well-coordinated work of national and continental SAMBO federations and, of course, the support of our general partner Rosneft.
More and more countries are opening doors for our sport. SAMBO competitions are broadcasted by TV companies from 68 countries in the world, including Eurosport TV channel the leader of sports broadcasting. The names of outstanding representatives of SAMBO are known across the globe. We are grateful to the International Olympic Committee for the appreciation of our work and for the attention to our sport. Today we have taken another big step towards our cherished dream, which is the inclusion of SAMBO into the program of the Olympic Games. I congratulate sambists from all over the world on this historic event!
