Roman Novikov, centre, attended a boarding school for blind and visually impaired students in Uzbekistan ©FIAS

Roman Novikov, chairman of the International Sambo Federation (FIAS) Commission for Athletes and Disabilities, has spoken of his desire to organise a junior international competition for blind and visually impaired athletes.

Novikov was speaking during a visit to a correctional boarding school for blind and visually impaired students in Tashkent in Uzbekistan.

The meeting was attended by young pupils and adult athletes with visual impairments.

Viktor Ignatenko, senior coach of Russia’s blind sambo team, also visited the school as participants asked questions about the development of sambo among the blind and visually impaired.

Novikov said that youngsters in Russia participate in the annual Youth Games of Martial Arts in Sambo for the Blind and Visually Impaired but added that he would like to stage events on a global stage.

"In the near future, it is also planned to organise international sambo competitions among blind and visually impaired youths," said Novikov.

"We will definitely resolve this issue in the coming years."

Next year’s World Sambo Super Cup in Moscow will make history when it stages the first-ever international blind sambo competition.

The Russian capital was awarded the hosting rights at this month’s FIAS Congress in Tashkent.

Blind and visually impaired students asked questions to Roman Novikov and Viktor Ignatenko ©FIAS
Blind and visually impaired students asked questions to Roman Novikov and Viktor Ignatenko ©FIAS

Ignatenko, who is also an international referee, discussed the specifics of training blind and visually impaired sambists with Shukhrat Turaev, a blind sambo coach from Uzbekistan, during the school visit.

"Different coaches often have their own nuances of training athletes," said Ignatenko.

"It is based on personal experience of working with blind sambists, joint discussion and work helps to learn from this experience."

Turaev also stressed the importance of close cooperation with the Sambo Association of Uzbekistan.

"In the near future, we will work together to work out the participation of our blind sambists in the World Super Cup 'Memorial of the Sambo Founders' in Moscow," Turaev added.

Novikov spoke in detail about the algorithm for passing the classification while specialised helmets for blind sambo were demonstrated.

Summing up the event, Novikov called the meeting "warm and welcoming" and expressed hope that it would become an additional incentive for the further development of sambo in Uzbekistan.