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The International Amateur Sambo Federation elected David Rudman its new presidentInvented in Russia, this kind of wrestling has for its name an abbreviation from the Russian "samooborona bez oruzhia" (self-defense without weapons). Rudman regards sambo as an extremely promising sport. "This is just the time to promote it. Many sambo wrestlers who made themselves a name back in the Soviet years have emigrated by now, and come out as successful trainers in other countries. Martial arts are all the vogue now, so I think sambo has a fine future," he said to a news conference that followed the sambo European Cup opening day, Saturday April 16. Sambo has no sufficient information coverage for now, even despite its current popularity all over Russia, and though close on a million athletes engaged in it back in the Soviet times, remarked Rudman. He has ambitious plans for a World Sambo Center to be built in Moscow and a sambo federation to be established in Oceania. "These four years will see a great job. The International Federation was not performing quite well, and deserved frequent criticisms. I, too, used to come down on it. Now I'll have no one else to bear grudges against," he said. Russia has set up a professional sambo league this year. There are a mere two teams on it for today. An addition will come soon-the St. Petersburg Sambo Federation fell in for his call to establish a professional team, said Rudman. Another celebrity was addressing the news conference, too. That was Oleg Taktarov, Hollywood actor and world mix fight champion. He said he would stand by David Rudman to advertise sambo. "We want to make a feature film about it. We think the movie will make the world gasp." Oleg will soon appear in another movie as a sambo wrestler who has up his sleeve stunts no one knows but him, he added. April 19 , 2005 |