DUSHANBE, March 26, 2013, Asia-Plus  -- Tajik sambo wrestlers have won two medals (one silver and one bronze) at Anatoly Kharlampiyev Memorial Tournament.

The competition that has the status of the World Cup finished in Moscow on March 25.

According to information posted on the Russian Sambo Federation’s website, Tajik sambo wrestler Mahmadrasoul Mahmadrasoulov won the silver medal for Tajikistan, finishing second in the -90kg category.

Another Tajik sambo wrestler Khoushqadam Khusravov won the bronze medal, finishing third in the -57kg category.

Tajik athletes participated only in the sport sambo events.

In all, athletes from 26 countries participated at Anatoly Kharlampiyev Tournament in Moscow.  The next stage of sambo World Cup will take place in Venezuela.  

Sambo (self-defense without weapons) is a Russian martial art and combat sport.  Sambo is relatively modern since its development began in the early 1920s by the Soviet Red Army to improve their hand-to-hand combat abilities.  Intended to be a merger of the most effective techniques of other martial arts, Sambo has roots in Japanese judo, international styles of wrestling, plus traditional folk styles of wrestling.

Sport Sambo is stylistically similar to Olympic Freestyle Wrestling or Judo, but with some differences in rules, protocol, and uniform. For example, in contrast with judo, Sambo allows some types of leg locks, while not allowing chokeholds. It focuses on throwing, ground work and submissions, with (compared to Judo) very few restrictions on gripping and holds.

Utilized and developed for the military, Combat Sambo resembles modern mixed martial arts, including extensive forms of striking and grappling where (unlike Sport Sambo) choking and bent joint locks are legal.  Competitors wear jackets as in sport sambo, but also hand protection and sometimes shin and head protection. The first FIAS World Combat Sambo Championships were held in 2001.

Freestyle Sambo – uniquely American set of competitive Sambo rules created by the American Sambo Association (ASA) in 2004.  These rules differ from traditional Sport Sambo in that they allow choke holds and other submissions from Combat Sambo that are not permitted in Sport Sambo as well as certain neck cranks and twisting leg locks.  Freestyle Sambo, like all Sambo, focuses on throwing skills and fast ground work.  No strikes are permitted in Freestyle Sambo.  The ASA created this rule set in order to encourage non-Sambo practitioners from judo and jiujitsu to participate in Sambo events.