The first edition of the European Cup took place on 24th October 2015 in Madrid, Spain. The national teams from 8 countries took part in the tournament: Russia, Georgia, Finland, Italy, France, Germany, Bulgaria, and Spain. The tournament is dedicated to the memory of the International Sambo Federation first president Fernando Compte, who significantly contributed to sambo development on international scale. He also considered sambo as the most effective among all martial arts.
October 27-30, 2017 the second edition of the European Cup will be repeatedly staged in Madrid, Spain.
Angel Gimenez, vice-president of the Spanish federation of the Olympic wrestling and associated disciplines, gave a special interview for http://eurosambo.com/ about the preparation to the European Sambo Cup.
— What are the changes in the format of the competitions this year?
“There are many changes in regulations of the European Sambo Cup. First, 2 athletes are allowed in each weight category, that will increase the number of participants. Second, three categories in combat sambo are added to the regulations. Third, the team competitions with three men’s categories and two women’s categories will be held in the second day of the competitions.”
— Why three categories in combat sambo are introduced?
“There are many sambo athletes, who would like to compete in combat sambo. So, it will be the first international combat sambo tournament for juniors! I think that the tournament will be a success.”
— How do you prepare to hold the European Cup?
“The preparation has been held for 6 months. We should like to organise a great event with spectators, media and TV. We negotiate the organisation with the city administration and we plan to arrange a tour of Madrid for the participants.”
— What is the benefit for Spain to hold the European Cup?
“The holding of the European Cup is necessary for sambo development in Spain. It is great to give a possibility for combat sambo athletes to compete at the international level showing sambo to the Spanish spectators. Also, this tournament is dedicated to the memory of the International Sambo Federation first president Fernando Compte.”
— What are your expectations for the team competition in the second day of the event?
“In my opinion, the organization of the team competition allows the countries to increase the number of athletes participating in the event. Surely, it is a new format of the European Sambo Cup.”