Russia dominates as sambo returns to action

The world’s best returned to action over the weekend at the World Sambo Championships in Serbia. Held from 5–8 November in Novi Sad, the event was the first tournament organised by the International Sambo Federation (FIAS) since February.

The weekend ultimately belonged to the Russian team, who took home 25 medals including an impressive 17 golds.

Despite the lengthy break between competitions, the Russian athletes showed no signs of rustiness as they shot straight to the top of the medal table on the first day of action, claiming six of the nine golds on offer. That set the pattern for the weekend, as the Russian team continued to add to their medal haul in the men’s, women’s and combat sambo categories. They were particularly dominant in the women’s lightweight competitions, claiming gold in each of the three lightest weight categories.

Belarus came second in the medals table, with three golds, while Ukraine and Uzbekistan won two golds apiece. In total, 19 different nations won medals at the championships.

The FIAS will be delighted to see the world’s finest sambo competitors back in action. The world championships had originally been scheduled to take place in Ashgabat but were moved to Novi Sad due to the restrictions introduced to prevent a COVID-19 outbreak in Turkmenistan.

No spectators were present over the weekend, with the championships taking place in an infection-free bubble. Delegation members and athletes were required to provide a recent negative COVID-19 test result to enter Serbia, while mask-wearing, hand-washing and social distancing were mandatory at the event.

Unfortunately, no spectators were present at the World Sambo Championships. Fans could nonetheless follow the action live via both YouTube and the FIAS website.

The International Sambo Federation's next world championships are currently scheduled to take place in Moscow in 2021.