In Buryatia, sambo will be equated with the Olympic sports

In Buryatia, the amount of bonuses to sambo wrestlers and their coaches for prize-winning places in championships will be equated to Olympic sports. The International SAMBO Federation received temporary recognition from the IOC in 2018, and permanent recognition in 2021, without which it is impossible to obtain the status of an Olympic sport. Now Sambo is not included in the program of the Olympic Games, but there is a direct order from the President of Russia to develop and support this sport.

“Thus, for outstanding results and merits in the sport of sambo, the project proposes to equate the size of one-time state sports awards in Olympic sports with the sport of sambo for athletes who won prizes and their coaches,” the authors of the bill comment, included in the People’s Khural of Buryatia.

The same bill proposes to establish one-time state sports awards for athletes who have won prizes and their coaches for the duration of restrictions on the admission of Russian athletes to participate in international competitions. And apply the changes to the winners and prize-winners of the 1st All-Russian Spartakiad between the constituent entities of the Russian Federation in summer sports among the strongest athletes, held in 2022. Buryatia was represented by 39 athletes and 16 coaches in 7 sports. They won 11 medals (1 gold, 8 silver, 2 bronze).

It is noted that the adoption of the draft law will entail additional costs of the republican budget by 6.5 million rubles. Let us add that in total in the republican budget for awarding winners annually an amount of 19.2 million rubles is provided.

For the period from 2014 to 2017, sambists and their coaches were paid one-time state sports awards totaling 785 thousand rubles for high sports results based on the results of their performance at the World Championships, Europe and the First European Games, that is, in the amounts established for non-Olympic sports.

Recall that from April 18 to 24, 2023, the European SAMBO Championships were held in Israel, where an athlete from Buryatia Aldar Namsaraev won a gold medal in the 58 kg weight category. For the gold medal of the European SAMBO Championships in the individual competition, the draft law provides for a bonus of 415,000 rubles for an athlete and the same amount for a coach.