Home
This interview features legendary Yasuhiro Yamashita on his views of the relationship between Judo and Sambo and the efforts in Japan to save Olympic Wrestling:
http://sambo-fias.org/en/news/2013/3/21/Yasuhiro_Yamasita_o_SAMBO
I will possibly ask you a dilettantish question but anyway: Does SAMBO differ from judo?
Yasuhiro Yamashita: SAMBO and judo are two different kinds of sports. The rules are different while there are many things in common. These kinds of sports are “relatives” so to say. You probably know that judo already existed as of the time of SAMBO creation. But SAMBO appeared thanks to the addition of new ideas and changes into judo which were adapted to a different type of combat. In my opinion, the strongest sportsmen came exactly from SAMBO. And judo is probably the kind of sports where a SAMBO athlete has chances to succeed to the utmost. A judoist in its turn can achieve major success in SAMBO. I would personally like these kinds of sports to continue to develop and closely interact both in Japan and Russia. And it is necessary to create in Japan such a tendency so that people who are doing judo would be interested in SAMBO too.
Does SAMBO have a chance to be included in the programme of the Olympics?
Yasuhiro Yamashita: I think yes, it does. Vasily Shestakov will certainly try to facilitate inclusion of this kind of combat in the programme of the Olympics. In my opinion, it will also happen thanks to the worldwide involvement in SAMBO. It is quite an attractive kind of sports, i.e. it has good chances therefor. It would be just great if representatives of various countries were attracted to this kind of sports. It is essential. It is clear that SAMBO won’t be included in the programme in 2020 yet. But I am sure that it will happen in one Olympics.
You are talking about inclusion of SAMBO! But they are trying to exclude wrestling. What do you think about it?
Yasuhiro Yamashita: It is also actively discussed in Japan. Generally there is a great number of people who want to do wrestling, who respect this kind of sports, who do not want it to be excluded from the programme of the Olympics. Today there is a very active movement in our country. More than 100 thousand signatures against exclusion of wrestling from the Olympic programme have already been gathered. The most important thing now is to explain the IOC the importance of this Olympic kind of sports. You know, the thing is not to criticize and not to deny their intention and to simply inform them about it.
http://sambo-fias.org/en/news/2013/3/21/Yasuhiro_Yamasita_o_SAMBO
I will possibly ask you a dilettantish question but anyway: Does SAMBO differ from judo?
Yasuhiro Yamashita: SAMBO and judo are two different kinds of sports. The rules are different while there are many things in common. These kinds of sports are “relatives” so to say. You probably know that judo already existed as of the time of SAMBO creation. But SAMBO appeared thanks to the addition of new ideas and changes into judo which were adapted to a different type of combat. In my opinion, the strongest sportsmen came exactly from SAMBO. And judo is probably the kind of sports where a SAMBO athlete has chances to succeed to the utmost. A judoist in its turn can achieve major success in SAMBO. I would personally like these kinds of sports to continue to develop and closely interact both in Japan and Russia. And it is necessary to create in Japan such a tendency so that people who are doing judo would be interested in SAMBO too.
Does SAMBO have a chance to be included in the programme of the Olympics?
Yasuhiro Yamashita: I think yes, it does. Vasily Shestakov will certainly try to facilitate inclusion of this kind of combat in the programme of the Olympics. In my opinion, it will also happen thanks to the worldwide involvement in SAMBO. It is quite an attractive kind of sports, i.e. it has good chances therefor. It would be just great if representatives of various countries were attracted to this kind of sports. It is essential. It is clear that SAMBO won’t be included in the programme in 2020 yet. But I am sure that it will happen in one Olympics.
You are talking about inclusion of SAMBO! But they are trying to exclude wrestling. What do you think about it?
Yasuhiro Yamashita: It is also actively discussed in Japan. Generally there is a great number of people who want to do wrestling, who respect this kind of sports, who do not want it to be excluded from the programme of the Olympics. Today there is a very active movement in our country. More than 100 thousand signatures against exclusion of wrestling from the Olympic programme have already been gathered. The most important thing now is to explain the IOC the importance of this Olympic kind of sports. You know, the thing is not to criticize and not to deny their intention and to simply inform them about it.
