Russia names athletes for World Sambo Championships
While Russia is banned from competition for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the International Sambo Federation (FIAS) has named the athletes from Russia that will compete under a neutral banner at the World Sambo Championships. The 2022 Sambo World Championships take place in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on November 11-13. The team is as follows:
Russia World Sambo Championships Team
There are 14 men and women competing in traditional sambo and they are as follows:
Russian Women’s World Sambo Championship Team
Ekaterina Khasanova, Elizaveta Syshchikova, Sveltana Uvarova, Karina Cherevan, Olesya Posylkina, Daria Rechkalova, and Angela Gasparyan.
Russian Men’s World Sambo Championship Team
Sayan Khertek, Alexander Kulikovskikh, Shamil Zilfkarov, Stanislav Skryabin, Sergey Ryabov, Anton Konovalov, and Anton Brachev.
Russian’s Men’s Combat World Sambo Championship Team
Mukhtar Gamzaev, Sheikh-Mansur Khabibulaev, Rashad Muradov, Ivan Lozhkin, Said Saidov, Viktor Nemkov, and Soslan Dzanaev.
While the International Olympic Committee has recommended that athletes from Russia and Belarus be suspended due to the war in Ukraine, FIAS has opted to allow athletes to compete under the neutral flag.
Notable names from the Sambo team
Being a Russian sport, Sambo is always topped by Russian fighters that dominate the sport. Notable names on the team this year is Sheikh-Mansur Khabibulaev who is a three time Sambo World Champion. Last year he won a semi finals match with a spinning wheel kick that got the world excited about the sport.
Viktor Nemkov is another name of interest. Nemkov is the brother of Bellator light heavyweight champion and former Combat Sambo World Champion Vadim Nemkov. Viktor has a 30-7-1 MMA record and is looking for a second World Championship in combat Sambo.
Of the three World Champions in traditional sambo from Russia last year, none are returning. But Russia is returning several medalist from the 2021 World Championships including Khertek, Kulikovskikh, Ryabov, and Konovalov. The women are returning only Svetlana Uvarova who won silver.
In Combat Sambo, Sheikh-Mansur Khabibulaev is the only returning champion on the entire Russian team. Khabibulaev is also the only returning medalist from the Russian team as well.
