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Sambo Competition in Moscow. RFI / A.Dalsbaek

In Minsk, Belarus, the kick-off of the second edition of the European Games was given. Some 4,000 athletes from 50 countries and 15 sports are represented, including a well-known fighting sport in Eastern Europe, but struggling to find a place in the Olympic sun. This is sambo, a martial art developed in the Soviet era, and still taught today in the Russian army.

With our correspondent in Moscow , Daniel Vallot

The fight has been going on for several minutes. On the carpet, two heavyweights, red tunic and blue tunic, and holds that recall the judo, but also the fight. We are in full competition of sambo.

In the stands, an attentive observer: the coach of the Russian team, Dmitry Trojki: " The sambo was born more than 80 years ago. Its creators were inspired by judo, and their own combat experience in wartime. And then they integrated all the forms of struggle that could be found in the USSR. In the beginning, sambo was practiced only within the special forces. Then it became a sport in itself! "

Little known outside of Russia and Eastern Europe, Sambo suffers from a lack of international recognition. But he still hopes to one day join the club very closed Olympic sports.

Herculean Iron Fist, Artem Ossipenko, is the heavyweight world champion of sambo: " Our dream is for everyone to participate in the Games. Our sport is spectacular, very different from judo with its leg holds. For me, sambo has its place at the Games. "

But the competition is tough to reach this Olympic dream. And for the time being, sambo has to be content with much less publicized competitions, like the European Games starting this Friday.