MINSK, August 8. /TASS/. Russia will send its best group of female Sambo wrestlers to the 2023 CIS Games in Belarus, which kicked off last week, Mikhail Martynov, the head coach of the Russian national women’s Sambo team, told TASS on Tuesday.

According to him, the same team of Russian female Sambo wrestlers will compete at the 2023 World Championship in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Belarus is hosting the 2023 CIS (the Commonwealth of Independent States) Games on August 4-14 in 11 cities across the country. The previous edition of the CIS Games was hosted by the Russian city of Kazan in 2021.

Sambo wrestling competitions within the 2023 CIS Games are scheduled to be held in the Belarusian city of Zhlobin on August 11-12.

"We have decided to send the top squad of the Russian national women’s team to Belarus because it needs to be tested following a mid-season break and get back to competing," Martynov said.

"The CIS Games will serve as an excellent platform for testing our women’s national team’s competitive level ahead of the world championships," he added.

The Russian women Sambo team at the 2023 CIS Games in Belarus will be represented by Yuliya Molchanova (under-50 kg weight category), Elmira Kakhramanova (under-54 kg weight category) Svetlana Uvarova (under-59 kg weight category), Milena Khilova (under-65 kg weight category, Kseniya Zadvornova (under-72 kg weight category), Daria Rechkalova (under-80 kg weight category) and Zhanara Kusanova (over-80 kg weight category).

Sambo wrestling

Sambo wrestling originated in Russia in the 1920s, when soldiers of the then-Soviet Army developed their own hand-to-hand combat technique. The word Sambo is a Russian acronym, which stands for "self-defense without weapons."

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated in 2016, speaking about Sambo wrestling and its global perspectives, that the Russia-originated wrestling sport should be included in the Olympic program, but it would require a lengthy and labor-intensive period.