In January 2024, the official announcement came: Combat Sambo will be included for the first time in the program of the World Games to be held in Chengdu, China. Despite the fact that sambo has traditionally been developed as a sport discipline in Israel, the Israel Sambo Federation has set itself an ambitious goal — to reach the world ranking and ensure the participation of Israeli athletes in the upcoming Games.
One of the most titled athletes of the Federation, Trial Abasov, world and European champion, was included in the selection process. Together with him, the team included two athletes who decided to try Combat Sambo: Shaked Nisimyan, a Jiu-Jitsu athlete who had just started her sambo career, and Nili Block, an experienced Thai boxer.
Unfortunately, the injury prevented Trials from showing high results and gaining a foothold in the ranking, but it was the girls who were the real surprise. Thanks to the high work discipline and professionalism of the coaching staff, successes did not take long to come: already in the first ranking tournament — a medal at the European Championships. Medals at the World Cup in Kyrgyzstan strengthened their positions.
A real triumph was the 2024 World Championships in Kazakhstan: Shaked Nisimyan won gold and Nili Block bronze. These achievements finally secured their places at the World Games.
Pavel Musin, head coach of the national team and vice-president of the Israel Sambo Federation, said:
“The Israel Sambo Federation made a strategic decision to develop Combat Sambo a year and a half ago, and the national team has shown outstanding results. The very participation of two of our athletes in the World Games is already a huge success. We have had excellent training and we hope to come back with medals”.
Federation Chairman Peter Ben Rosen added:
"The State of Israel and the sports bodies attach great importance to the World Games and equate their importance to the Olympic Games. Just a few days ago, Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog received the delegation and congratulated the athletes. One of his first questions was, ’I’ve heard of Sambo, but what is Combat Sambo?’ Shai Geisinger, Director General of the federation, gave a detailed description of the discipline and invited the President to the next Israeli championship. The President concluded the meeting by saying: ’We all expect great achievements from this sport.