Bright and uncompromising

Belarusian wrestlers won almost fifty medals at the International Sambo Tournament for the Prizes of the President of the Republic of Belarus

The fight between Oleg Nagorny and Vasily Ostapets

Belarusian sambo is a brand. Our wrestlers are invariably the favourites of any competition, always in the lead in the overall medal standings and each time they set themselves only the maximum tasks. The next, already 27th international sambo tournament for the Prizes of the President of the Republic of Belarus, was no exception. Aleksandr Lukashenko sent a greeting to the participants on the eve of the competition, “The Belarusian capital is once again cordially and hospitably hosting the best representatives of one of the most spectacular and technical martial arts. Sport has always been an ambassador of peace, so let the Minsk tournament serve the lofty goals of uniting people, strengthening mutual understanding and friendship between peoples for many years to come.” The Head of State expressed his conviction that under the legendary vaults of the Sports Palace, sambo wrestlers would be able to demonstrate their skills and fortitude, and fans would fully enjoy the bright and uncompromising fights. So in the end it happened.
In the past years, the tournament in Minsk could easily be compared with the world championship in its level, it had the highest rating category and even the status of the World Cup stage. Today the situation has changed for all known reasons — politics is persistently pushing sports out of its original boundaries. The International Federation of Amateur SAMBO (FIAS), as it can resist pressure and pressure, but in some ways is forced to compromise. Thus, Belarusian and Russian athletes perform without national symbols, and our countries are not allowed to hold competitions under the auspices of FIAS. Despite this, it was possible to gather a fairly decent line-up of participants in Minsk — more than a hundred sambo wrestlers from five countries: Belarus, Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. Our team put up almost the strongest team and confidently excelled in the medal standings, winning a total of 47 awards: 16 gold, 14 silver and 17 bronze!

Aleksandr Kruglik (right) performs a wrestling technique

The fight turned out to be emotional and there was someone to look at on the carpet. For example, at the current world champion 22-year-old Elena Kupavo. A native of Zhodino fought in an attacking style and confidently won, securing the title of one of the team leaders and a real rising star of Belarusian sambo. The high class and reputation of the prima was confirmed by the silver medallist of the last world championship Anfisa Kapayeva — she also knew no equal. We also note the confident actions of the team veteran, mother of two children, champion of the 2nd European Games, Honoured Master of Sports Anzhela Zhilinskaya, who added another gold award to her rich collection. Uladzislau Burdz, Uladzislau Sayapin, Aleksandr Kruglik and, of course, Aleksandr Koksha were just brilliant on the carpet of the men’s tournament. It should be noted that most of the members of the national team, both men and women, serve in the police: in battalions and detention groups of the security department, in special police units. Aleksandr Koksha is one of the most titled Belarusian sambo athletes, he is a world and European champion, winner of the European Games in Minsk. An excellent student of combat, political and sports training, our wrestler does not forget about his roots: he regularly visits his native Dubrovno, which is not far from Orsha, and annually holds a children’s tournament there for his prizes.
Now the April European Championship in Israel is on the agenda of the Belarusian sambo wrestlers. In connection with the participation of our and Russian athletes in the tournament, some states (Poland, Lithuania, Estonia) forbid their athletes to compete there (here’s democracy), but this, of course, will not affect the overall level of competition in any way — wrestlers from almost three dozen countries will compete for medals in Rishon LeZion. Next — the stages of the World Cup in Kyrgyzstan and Serbia, the 2nd Games of the CIS countries in Minsk, the World Championship in Armenia... The schedule, as we see, is very busy. Despite all attempts at isolation, Belarusian sambo athletes remain ready to fight and continue to glorify their native Belarus. 

By Sergei Kanashits
Photos by Darya Titova