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Putin and Nazarbayev award winners of international sambo tournament in Sochi

The World team and the Russian team had one friendly and one match
Photo ITAR-TASS
Photo ITAR-TASS

SOCHI, August 18 (Itar-Tass) - Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev have decorated the winners of the “Platform S-70” international professional sambo tournament in Sochi.

The World team and the Russian team had one friendly and one match. The Russians won the two team events 4-1. Kazakh athletes won two bouts in a friendly; Russians won another two bouts; the fifth bout was won by a Ukrainian.

“Strength, courage and dignity as well as sport and combat brotherhood distinguish the fighters who are now standing on the ring. They represent martial arts in the best possible way,” Putin said at the victory ceremony.

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev thanked all the participants in the tournament and the president of Russia for the invitation to come to Sochi. He said he had visited the 2014 Olympic facilities and was greatly impressed with how Sochi had changed and had managed to create such a solid material sport basis in such a short period of time.

“The residents of Sochi, the Krasnodar territory and all Russian citizens are lucky that a totally new city has appeared in Russia,” Nazarbayev said

He noted that Kazakhstan was also a sport power that had hosted the Winter Asian Games in 2011. The World Student Games will take place in Kazakhstan in 2017. Besides, Kazakhstan has submitted its bid for hosting the Winter Olympic Games in Almaty in 2022.

“We will do everything to make Almaty to win the bid,” Nazarbayev said, inviting Putin to the Olympic Games in case the Kazakh Olympic bid wins.

After the victory ceremony, President Vladimir Putin invited Trevor Prangley, the World Team’s captain, to come to the ring’s center. Prangley lost his bout against Russian captain Vyacheslav Vasilvesky.

“I would like to thank our guests,” Putin said. “Russians have always valued and respected men who can fight to the very end,” the president added.

All Russian wrestlers who took part in the tournament are law enforcers who have won various sport competitions.

Viktor Medvedchuk, the leader of the Vybor Ukrainy (Ukraine’s Choice) public movement who attended the tournament at President Putin’s invitation also presented awards to the wrestlers. The tournament’s organizes presented the winner cups to Vladimir Putin and Nursultan Nazarbayev.