Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – The 2023 World Combat Games, hosted in the beautiful capital city of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is the first multi-sport all-inclusive event, featuring 16 recognised and non-recognised combat sports and martial arts, showcasing the skills of athletes of all abilities. Across the 16 sports, 6 have worked and adapted with dedication to include a special and/or para discipline. These sports are: Armwrestling, Aikido, Ju Jitsu, Muaythai, Savate, and Sambo. The World Combat Games has taken an active role encouraging the international sport community to make a commited move towards a more inclusive sporting environment, where athletes of all abilities have the chance to compete on a level playing field.
SAMBO
Sambo is a martial art with Soviet origins, and is an internationally practiced combat sport, in addition to being a recognised style of amateur wrestling. It is a combination of traditional and national wrestling and grappling styles of multiple countries.
President of the International SAMBO Federation (FIAS) Vasily Shestakov proudly said:“We are blessed with the opportunity to take part in this wonderful event, which combines the values of friendship and opens doors for diversity in many aspects for athletes from all abilities.”
The opening day of the games saw Sambo present their inspirational category: Men’s Visually Impaired Sport -79kg division. The 7 selected athletes took to the mats competing with passion in 8 bouts, with the stunning final between Moldova and Venezuela.
The final medal table standings were:
- Gold: MORENO GARCIA Elder Luis [VEN]
- Silver: NEMTAN Oleg [MDA]
- Bronze: SHIOBRISHVILI Mishiko [GEO]
- Bronze: RUDENKO Viktor [AIN]
The CEO of International SAMBO Federation (FIAS) Mr. Michel Buchel said: “Staging the first ever blind and visually impaired competition at such a level showcases that sambo is developing strongly in all areas and creating opportunities for all athletes to competes at elite levels without any limits.”
UTS is inspired by the federations who are supporting the inclusion revolution and will continue to encourage a more inclusive world for the next generations. Congratulations to all the athletes, officials and federations for making dreams come true and giving life-changing opportunities through sport.
To learn more about SAMBO and the SAMBO International Federation (FIAS), visit
