Congratulation of the FIAS President Vasily Shestakov on International SAMBO Day

Dear SAMBO fans, dear friends!

Today, November 16, our sport turns 86 years old. We have approached this date with significant achievements to our credit.

Thanks to the official recognition of FIAS by the International Olympic Committee, SAMBO has entered the Olympic family.

SAMBO is currently included in the program of many multi-sport competitions, including the World Games, which will be held in Chengdu (China) in 2025.

Every year, the number of sambists in the world is growing; today, more than 140 countries on all continents cultivate SAMBO, and 101 national federations have already become FIAS members.

New disciplines are actively developing: the program of this year's World Championships for the first time included competitions in women’s Combat SAMBO and Sport SAMBO for completely blind athletes, which attracted everyone's attention.

More and more countries are winning medals at international tournaments, which indicates the growth of the level of skill of sambists in countries that have recently joined the large FIAS family. This year, sambists from 80 countries competed at the World Championships in Astana, with medals won by representatives of 25 teams.

The interest of viewers in our competitions is growing. According to television companies, more than 30 million people around the world watch the live broadcast of the World SAMBO Championships.

We were able to achieve such results largely due to the active and dedicated work of continental and national federations, the high dedication of athletes and coaches, and the personal contribution to the overall success of each of you. Let me thank you for this!

Over the years, our sport has come a long and difficult way: we have managed to do a lot, but much remains to be done. I am convinced that our sport has a great future, the popularity of SAMBO will continue to grow, and with it the number of fans of our sport!

Today I want to congratulate the entire SAMBO community and all fans of martial arts on SAMBO Day! Remember, SAMBO is a family, family is strength, and strength is peace! Happy holiday to you, dear SAMBO fans!