Sambo is one of the lesser known games at the Asian Games and is a new addition, appearing in the Asian Games for the first time. It is classified under the martial arts events alongwith wushu, jujitsu, kurash and pencak silat.
Sambo is a form of martial art that hails from Soviet-Russia, and it has two forms - combat sambo and sport sambo. It was devised by the Soviet Red Army in 1920 to improve their hand-to-hand combat skills. Sambo is actually an acronym for Samozashchita Bez Oruzhiya, which means “self-defense without weapons” in Russian. The martial art form was recognised as an official sport by the USSR All-Union Sports Committee in 1920.
Sambo is going to offer a new and different sport to the fans in the 2018 Asian Games, with its popularity already rising all over the world. Sambo was included in the events list of the 2018 Jakarta Pelambang following the huge success of the International Sambo Federation. The sambo events will be held at the 18th Asian Games from 31st August to 1st September. In the Asian Games, combat sambo will not be practiced but instead sports sambo will be there, which is more restrained.
Venue
The sambo events will be held at the Jakarta Convention Center Assembly Hall in the Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex. As the events will be held in a temporary venue, there is no fixed seating capacity.
Asian Games Sambo Events
The 2018 Asian Games Sambo event will have four medals for the offering at the Asian Games, with two medals in two categories for both men and women in individual events. In the men’s action, the two weight categories are below 52 kg (48 kg to 52 kg) and below 90 kg (82 kg to 90 kg). The two weight categories in women are 48kg (below 44 kg to 48 kg) and below 68 kg (64 kg to 68 kg).
The winner of a sport sambo match is decided on the basis of points. Points are scored depending on various modes of throws effected and the posture of the fighters after effecting a throw. Another way of scoring point is through a hold down when a fighter holds the back of his rival towards the mat and almost immobilises him. A hold-down for 10 seconds fetches 2 points while a hold-down for 20 seconds is rewarded with 4 points. Points through hold-down can be earned only once during the course of a bout. A winner is declared whenever a participant has 12 points more than his opponent.
Indian Sambo team at the Asian Games 2018
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) had initially released a list of 5 participants who would be competing in the sambo events. However, after allegations of nepotism and incompetent selections, the IOA cleared only one player - Shrikant to compete in the Sambo events in the 2018 Asian Games.
