Speaking at a press conference here ahead of the sambo President’s Cup, which is scheduled to take place at Manchester’s EventCity tomorrow, the Russian said FIAS is doing a lot to make sambo an Olympic sport.

Shestakov confirmed FIAS has already submitted an official recognition application to the IOC and that the governing body is in close contact with the IOC Sports Department.

“The IOC believes our sport is very interesting and very exciting,” he said.

“And all the problems and issues we had are now solved and don’t have any kind of barriers to stop us now.”

He added: “The IOC says that it’s one of the very good books.”

In May, Sergey Eliseev, head of the European Sambo Federation, warned the rift between then SportAccord President Marius Vizer and IOC counterpart Thomas Bach could delay sambo’s attempts to gain IOC recognition.

Shestakov had previously claimed that sambo could be recognised as early as this year, but following Vizer’s controversial attack on Bach and the IOC at April's Sport Accord Convention in Sochi, Eliseev said the ambition of sambo, and that of other sports, to take the coveted step could be put on hold.

In February, Bach visited the Russian State University of Physical Education, Sport, Youth and Tourism in Moscow, where he had what Shestakov described as an "informal conversation" with two-time world sambo champion Yana Kostenko.

Asked by Russia's Kostenko about the possibility of granting IOC recognition to sambo, Bach simply answered "maybe, maybe".

Tomorrow’s sambo President’s Cup is the second edition of the event, organised by the Commonwealth Sambo Association and the British Sambo Federation under the auspices of FIAS,

The Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, Sir Warren Smith, will open the eight-team competition, which is headlined by defending champions Russia.

The founders of the sport will be joined by hosts Great Britain, who they beat 7-2 in the 2014 final, as well as France, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain and two teams of the Commonwealth.

Men will compete in the 62 kilogram, 68kg, 74kg, 82kg and 90kg weight categories, while women will contest the 60kg and 68kg classes.

Running alongside the President’s Cup, the “British Combat Sambo Grand Slam” will also take place as a promotional event in an open weight category.

insidethegames.biz is an official partner of this year's event.

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