On September 22, the Israeli Sambo Championship was held.
The competition was attended by 180 athletes aged 13 years and older. They represented 11 clubs located in all corners of Israel — from the southernmost point in Eilat to the city of Nagaria in the north of the country.
The leading position has been held for several years by the martial arts club “Otzma Rishon le Tzion” under the leadership of Pavel Musin. The second position is held by the “White Bear” club of Volin Leonid from Krayot and the third position is confidently held by the “Hapoel Bat Yam” club with head coach Shai Geisinger.
The Championship was held in a favorable environment and this is thanks to the judging panel of the Israel Sambo Federation. Despite the fact that the head of the judging panel, international referee Anatoly Gerstman was absent (refereeing at the World Cup in Serbia), his team coped with the task on five! They were assisted by a replay program, and controversial or insufficiently clear decisions were made with the help of video replay.
IFS President Peter Rosen said at the end of the championship: “I am happy to see the high level of athletes at the championship, which indicates the daily hard work of the clubs and coaches”
National head coach Musin Pavel added: “The championship was the last and excellent preparation for the World Championship which will be held at the end of next week in Bishkek. The national team is prepared and we will try to come back with medals, improving on last year’s results”