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SportAccord Combat Games in Beijing

 

The first edition of the SportAccord Combat Games has started in Beijing with a grand opening that took place in the National Indoor Stadium on 28 August 2010. The participants of all 13 International Federations competing in the event were invited to march-in and enjoyed the artistic show, introduction of each sport's Ambassador and the event theme song performed by the Chinese martial artist and actor Jackie Chan.


The FILA events will start on 01 September with female wrestling and belt wrestling and be followed by the grappling and pankration competitions on 02 September. 96 athletes and 20 referees were selected and invited to the Combat Games free of charge to celebrate one of the greatest moments of their sport career with the other 2000 participants coming from 105 countries to compete in the Boxing, Judo, Karate, Muaythai, Sumo, Sambo, Ju Jitsu, Wushu, Taekwondo, Kendo, Kickboxing, and Aikido competitions.

 

The event can be followed on the official website www.worldcombatgames.com/en/ and the results will be posted at the end of each session. FILA wishes plenty of success to all selected athletes and hopes for a doping- and injury-free competition that will uphold the highest international standards set by SportAccord!

 

Cadet Junior Veteran World Championship in Dakovo

 

The 1° Cadet & Junior and 2° Veteran World Grappling Championship was held in Dakovo (CRO) on 20-22 August 2010. The Championship was also the occasion of an international tournament for Novice and Schoolboys. The event was hosted by Mr. Zeljko Vukovic, President of the newly formed Croatian Grappling Federation and brought together about 150 competitors from 14 countries. The event was the result of a hard battle with several sport authorities, but its success and the joy demonstrated by the participants underlined the importance of hosting major international events for kids and veterans, two age groups that often neglected by National Federations. As Mr. Vukovic mentioned, "the young atheltes are the future of our sport and the veterans are often the ones responsible for training them towards successful senior careers".

 

The event attracted more than 100 young athletes aged from 12 to 19 who showed great skills and knowledge of the submission arts. The matches were very fast-paced and intensive with a higher submission rate than among the seniors. One truly memorable match was the Junior No-Gi Absolute final that opposed the Croatian athletes Ivica Tadijanov (90kg) and Antun Racic (70kg) who both won their respective category earlier in the day. The lighter grappler with a pro MMA record of 5-1-0 managed to win the great final after having scored 5 to 1 points by choking his opponent. Such positive atmosphere, sportmanship, and knowledge of the FILA rules were great indicators of the bright future ahead of FILA Grappling.


The veteran competition attracted less participants in terms of number, but high-profile athletes granted the organizers with their presence. In division C 110kg, the Polish Olympian, Andrzej Radomski, who had just made silver at the 2010 Freestyle Veteran World Championship in Domdidier, Switzerland, got the gold by winning over the Croatian Marijan Vukelic (bronze medallist at the 2010 Greco-Roman Veteran World Championship) and Hungarian Levente Banyai. In division C Absolute, the final opposed the Hungarian Olympic Greco-Roman Champion (Moscow 1980) and two times kick-boxing World Champion, Norbert Novenyi, to the former Greco-Roman wrestler Bernard Ban from Croatia (4th at the 1988 European Championship and 6th at the 1986 World Champonship). Mr. Ban showed great skills and ruthless willpower and finished by winning the match in overtime. He concluded the Championship by winning additional silver medals in No-Gi 110kg and Gi 110kg. The President of the Hellenic Grappling Committee, Mr. Dimitris Dimitriou, performed very well for his first participation in a FILA championship by making second in division A 75kg and third in the Absolute category. Mr. Zeljko Vukovic, event organizer, also created a stirr among the public by winning a silver medal in division A 80kg. See the complete results at the following link.

 

FILA would like to thank the town of Dakovo for supporting the event and the  members of the Croatian Grappling Federation for the great passion they all put into making this Championship a success and for their contribution to the development of grappling in Croatia and in the neighbour countries.

 

Rocky's Harley Davidson "KCG" International 

 

The "Summer Slam KCG Grappling International" was held in the Rocky's Harley Davidson showroom in London (CAN) on 14 August 2010. This second edition (last year in Ottawa) was a huge spectacle and showcased top athletes from all arts and styles of combat sports. Many spectators from all walks of life showed up to give their support, such as athletes families, fighters, and Harley riders. The event was followed by Pankration duals at Adrenaline Training Center between the Adrenaline Team coached by WEC fighter Mark Hominick and the Spartan Team coached by Aris Makris that travelled 6 hours to take part in the event. See the grappling and pankration results. A refereeing clinic was also held by the tournament organizer and Head Official, Mr. Clint Kingsbury, member of the World Grappling & Pankration Committee, and accompanied by the Canadian Amateur Wrestling Officials Association President, Mr. John Cook. FILA would like to thank all referees who supported the event: Mr. Patrick Goulah, Mrs. Courtnay  Kingsbury, Mrs. Shelby Tremblay, Mr. Abbas Mohamadian, and Mr. Gary Bird.


The "Summer Slam KCG Grappling International" was also followed by Striking and MMA seminars done by renowned UFC and WEC fighters Mark Hominick, Sam Stout and Chris Horodecki with striking coach Adam Higson, held at Adrenaline Training Center from 16 to 19 August 2010.

 

The event was streamed on Splitdraw and followed by the Canadian Profighter network that did live videos and gave a good opportunity to the fighters to get their name out! FILA would like to congratulate the Canadian Amateur Wrestling Association for its support and Mr. Clint Kingsbury and his team for the efforts they put in organizing such great event. Many thanks to Rocky's Harley Davidson and Adrenaline Training Center for hosting the tournament and to the sponsors Bushido/Drako Sports and Brass Knuckles Therapy for their contribution.

 

International Forum on the Power of Sport in Russia

 

On 28-31 July 2010, the FILA President attended an important international forum on the "Power of Sport in Russia" along with representatives of other International Federations, IOC, World Antidoping Agency, and UNESCO. On that occasion, Mr. Martinetti met with the Minister of Sport, Mr. Vitaly Mutko, the President of the Russian NOC, Mr. Alexander Zhukov, and the Mayor of Moscow, Mr. Yury Luzhkov.

 

The Presidents of International Federations present were also granted the immense privilege of attending a private meeting with Mr. Dmitri Medvedev, President of the Russian Federation.    

 

On 30 July 2010, Mr. Martinetti made a very appreciated presentation on the "Use of Digital Technology in Sport" in front of 2000 people. Mr. Martinetti also used the opportunity to meet with the organizing committee of the upcoming senior World Championship that will take place in Moscow on 06-12 September 2010, as well as with the FISU President, Mr. George Killian, about the 2013 Universiades that will be held in Kazan. 

 

Cadet Junior Veteran World Championship in Dakovo

 

FILA is sorry to release the invitation for the Veteran, Junior & Cadet World Grappling Championship with such great delay. The local organizing committee went through administrative difficulties with the Croatian Wrestling Federation and the dispute put the Championship on hold for several weeks. The situation could finally be settled through the official registration of an independent Croatian Grappling Federation with the Croatian Ministry of Sport. FILA congratulates Mr. Zeljko Vukovic, President of the newly formed Federation, for his efforts in trying to save the World Championship from cancellation and for his commitment towards the non-Olympic wrestling styles in Croatia. The Croatian Grappling Federation will also have authority over pankration and combat grappling, but the upcoming competition will only stage Gi and No-Gi grappling. 

 

The event will take place in Dakovo from 20 to 22 August 2010 and will combine two levels of competition: the World Championship for Veterans (35-60 years old), Juniors (18-19 years old), and Cadets (16-17 years old) and an International Tournament for Schoolboys (14-15 years old) and Novice grapplers (12-13 years old). All National Federations and Committees affiliated to FILA are warmly invited to attend the first youth event ever organized by FILA and thus showing their support to the Croatian Grappling Federation and to the global movement initiated by FILA to increase grappling's popularity among the youth. 

 

Competitors of all age divisions will be required to provide a medical consent drawn up within the 3 weeks preceding the event in order to be allowed to compete. The FILA licence will only be mandatory for the veteran grapplers, but the young athletes wishing to benefit from the FILA insurance coverage will also be able to buy it on the spot. The teams will be responsible for making their own arrangements as far as transport and accommodation are concerned. Please note that each participating country will have to enter at least one referee, either a FILA certified referee or a new candidate. All referees will be requested to attend the course taking place on 19 August 2010 under the supervision of Mr. Valer Papp, FILA Referee Instructor. The detailed regulations and program can be downloaded from the international calendar. 

 

FILA wishes plenty of success to the Croatian Grappling Federation and kindly request all National Federations and Committees to respect the registration deadline set to 20 July 2010.    

 

German Grappling League - Second Round

 

The six southern teams competing in the German Grappling League disputed their second round in Dornbirn (AUT) on 20 June 2010. The Grappling Union Dornbirn, led by its captain Roland Laritz, was the host of the event and dominated the competition by winning its two matches. The members of the team were all well known to FILA with notably Roland Laritz holding a Bronze title from the 2009 World Championship, Gerhard Tenhuendfeld holding two Bronze medals from the 2010 World Championship, and Sascha Ersnt also Bronze medallist at this year's World Championship. On the other side of the pole, GTT Metzingen had to cope with two defeats, as well as the Mainzer Mogons who were amputed from two of their most valuable members, namely Daniel Ackerman and Frank Stäblein, also bronze medallist at this year's World Championship. The other teams on the contest all won one match and lost one. The complete results can be consulted on the official website or in the report published by Franco De Leonardis in Ground and Pound.       

 

The weekend was also the occasion of an important meeting between the members of the Austrian Wrestling Federation that has officially started the process of making grappling one of its associated disciplines.  

 

The second round of the northern teams competing in the German Grappling League had previously been held in Hamburg on 12 June 2010. The competition was dominated by Frank Burzynski's Grappling Team Berlin that inflicted two harsh defeats to its opponents by wining both matches 5 to 1. The host of the event, the Phantom Fighters Hamburg, also competed well by winning one match 5 to 1 and losing by only 2 points against Taifun Luta Livre. The northern competition featured a tighter competition with three matches ending up with 3 vitories to 3 losses. The complete results can be consulted in Vitalij Boev's article for Ground and Pound.

 

Rulon Gardner, FILA Ambassador to the Combat Games

 

 

Unified World Pankration & Grappling Committee

 

The FILA Bureau that met in Vevey (SUI) on 05 June 2010 decided the unification of the World Pankration & Grappling Committees. The decision was based upon the standardization of the competition rules and refereeing systems for Pankration, Grappling, and Combat Grappling that was conducted at the beginning of this year. Besides, most National Committees or Federations that were initially developing only one style are now recognizing all three styles and that trend gave the FILA Bureau even more grounds for such merger. The unified World Committee should allow a better communication among the members involved with several disciplines and help FILA manage the operating costs more efficiently. 

 

FILA received numerous applications from highly experienced candidates and would like to thank all applicants for their support and dedication. The FILA Bureau made its selection by favouring a fair continental representation and by giving priority to the candidates with a fighting background or thorough knowledge of the disciplines, influence over the national and international communities, official recognition by the national sport authorities, and exprience in hosting international competitions. Nine members were selected and FILA would like to express its gratitude to all members of the former Committees whose mandate was not renewed. Their contribution was highly appreciated and greatly helped Pankration and Grappling's growth on the international level.

 

The unified World Committee will be chaired by Mr. Tomiaki Fukuda, FILA Vice-president, and coordinated by Mrs. Anne Pellaud, FILA non-Olympic styles manager. The members are: Mr. Jean-François Court from France, Mr. Suresh Gopi from India, Mr. Hideo Kamaga from Japan, Mr. Clint Kingsbury from Canada, Mr. Alexander Mandrik from Ukraine, Mr. Italo Morello from Italy, Mr. Lazaros Papadopoulos from Australia, Mr. Willem Putter from South Africa, and Mr. Jason Townsend from USA. 

 

The Committee's main objectives for the coming months will be to promote Pankration, Grappling, and Combat Grappling throughout the world, help with the affiliation of new National Committees, support the upcoming competitions and help draw the 2011 international calendar. 

 

Important Pankration Seminar in Ukraine

 

 

Expansion in Asia and Eastern Europe

 

Since the beginning of the year, FILA has actively worked towards the official recognition of national grappling and pankration structures. The efforts were mainly directed towards Eastern Europe and Asia, two geographical zones with strong fighting traditions and potential. Some National Federations had been in existence for several years while others had recently been approved by their Ministry of Sport. In Asia, two new members joined our Federation, namely the Mongolian Grappling Association and the India Federation of Pankration Athlima. Desipte their appellation, both Federations were recognized as sole governing body for grappling, pankration, and combat grappling on their national territory. FILA is also about to affiliate a national representative in Kazakhstan and in Uzbekistan.

 

The European continent has experienced a yet bigger expansion with four newly affiliated members: the Azerbaijan Pankration Federation, the Belarusian Mix Fight Federation, the Latvian Federation of Pankration Athlima, and last but not least, the Russian Pankration Federation. The formal affiliation of the Russian representative was not an easy task given the immensity of the territory, the number of applications, and the necessity to receive the Russian Wrestling Federation's benediction. The Russian Pankration Federation, under Mr. Vladimir Klenshev's direction and with Mr. Mikhail Mamiashvili's support, is now considered the sole legitimate governing body for grappling, combat grappling, and pankration in Russia. FILA is also discussing the affiliation of a representative in Georgia, Lithuania and Montenegro. 

 

As far as the cooperation with National Wrestling Federations is concerned, FILA received positive feedbacks from Denmark, Germany, and Austria which are all taking concrete steps to make grappling an official discipline within their Federation and with their national sport authorities. The French Wrestling Federation also made a very important step by officially including Combat Grappling into its field of activity, thus opening the door to all athletes in need of a legitimate governing body for amateur MMA.  

 

The European Championship that will be held in Gorlice (POL) on 24-26 September 2010 is foreseen to showcase a very interesting competition with several new forces coming into play. With the activity developing worldwide, FILA is planning on inaugurating Continental Championships on all five Continents no later than next Spring.  

 

Hungarian Team Open and Junior Championship

 

The Hungarian Team Open and individual junior Championship was successfully held in Budapest on 08 May 2010. 10 Teams of 5 athletes (in No-Gi division) and about 30 junior grapplers (in Gi and No-Gi divisions) took part in the tournament. The 10 teams were divided into two groups of 5 and fought in the Nordic system (everyone against everyone). The first two teams in each group then disputed the 1-2 and 3-4 finals. The tournament was held on two mats and thanks to the excellent referees, score keepers, and professional scoring system provided by FILA, the competition did not stretch too long. The matches ran fast and without any serious injury. 

 

The trophy went to the Brazilian jiu jitsu team Gracie Barra Hungary, Budapest. The second place went to the traditional ju-jitsu team Tatami Centrum, Kecskemet. The third place went to University of Szeged, a team that came with a freestyle wrestling background and the fourth place to Pit Bull, Debrecen, a team that came from judo. Grappling seems to rapidly gain in popularity in Hungary with more teams entering the events year after year. The next meeting will be the 2° Hungarian Open in Gi an No-Gi that will take place in Budapest on 5-6 November 2010. 

 

Hungary is the second country hosting a team tournament after Germany this year. FILA is currently working on regulations to implement a team competition in all European countries with unified competition system and transfer procedures. The winning teams will then be invited to compete in the European final that will determine the best club in Europe. The countries will be notified at the end of June and will have 6 months to select the teams that will compete in the national tournaments at the beginning of 2011.  

 

Ukrainian Golden Cup in Kharkov

 

The Ukrainian Golden Cup that was held in Kharkov on 20-21 April 2010 was extremely well attended despite the troubles that affected the European aviation during that week. 600 participants from 12 countries entered the grappling, pankration, and combat grappling competitions organized for novice, schoolboys, cadets, and juniors/seniors. The tournament took place on 4 mats and streched from morning till late evening to allow all participants to compete. The Ukrainian team showed its superiority by placing first in grappling, pankration, and combat grappling while the second place went to the Russian team. USA made third in grappling and pankration and Kazakhstan won the third place in combat grappling. 

 

The Ukrainian Pankration Federation took up a great challenge in organizing such a large scale competition in a very limited amount of time and FILA conveys its congratulations to its leaders and staff. The Ukrainian Golden Cup is called to be a returning event and this year's participation already indicates the success that can be expected for the next editions.    

 

SportAccord Combat Games

 

The qualification process for the SportAccord Combat Games is now closed. All 96 athletes in female wrestling, belt wrestling, grappling, and pankration were notified of their selection. FILA is proud to announce the final list of grappling and pankration referees, as established by the two instructors in charge of the World Championship in Cracow:

 

Mr. Clint Kingsbury (CAN - Head referee), Ray Bohm (USA), Axel Fontaine (FRA), Patrick Goulah (CAN), Roman Iakovenko (UKR), Larry Papadopoulos (AUS), Valer Papp (HUN), and Lukasz Winiarski (POL). 

 

FILA congratulates these 8 referees for their good work and encourages all other international referees to keep on participating in tournaments and Championships in order to improve their skills and be selected for future world-class events. 

 

The National Federations and Committees are kindly requested to return their entry forms before 28 April 2010, as the organizing committee will immediately start with visa procedures and flight bookings. Please note that a good quality picture and passport copy will have to be attached to each form. The competition program can be downladed at the following link. Please note that a Facebook page was also created to promote the event. 

 

Last Rules Modifications

 

The General Assembly of the countries present at the 3° World Championship held in Cracow (POL) on 25 March 2010 voted a slight modification in the International Grappling Regulations. The modification pertains to the sweep/reversal point that was considered too restrictive by the attendees. Orignially, the point for sweep was only awarded if the sweeper went from a disadvantaged position into an advantaged position. The point for sweep will now be awarded if a grappler manages to sweep from a bottom position (bottom half-guard, bottom guard) or disadvantaged position into top guard or into an advantaged position. The modification was unanimously accepted and applied at the World Championship and did not cause any trouble in the refereeing. 

 

The General Assembly also discussed the escape point and finally decided to maintain it. A grappler caught in a disadvantaged position who manages to escape into standing neutral will still receive a point. 

 

The updated rule book can be consulted at the following link.  

 

3° World Grappling and 4° World Pankration Championhips

The 3° World Grappling Championship and 4° World Pankration Championship that took place in Cracow (POL) from 26 to 28 March 2010 were a true success in terms of participation and level of fighting. The Polish Grappling Committee prepared a wonderful Championship at the Skala Sports Hall which had already been the site of several major international combat events. Following the decision made by FILA at the beginning of this year, only one competitor per country and per weight category was allowed in the grappling competition. Even with this rule, the growth and popularity of FILA grappling was reflected by a record number of 23 participating countries. FILA welcomed first time nations Germany, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia and South Africa. The host nation performed particularly well by winning the highest number of medals and placing first in the Gi competition and second in No-Gi. The US team managed to maintain its supremacy in the No-Gi competition, but made second in the Gi championship. The French and Swedish teams fought for the third places in the two styles and both showed impressive level of fighting. 17 countries attended the Pankration competition, making it the biggest championship ever organized by FILA. The new rules adopted last year made the event much more attractive and had a positive effect on the refereeing that was far more effective than it used to be in the past. The two first timer Ukraine and Russia performed very well and placed first and second before USA and Italy.     

 

The World Championships were qualifier for the SportAccord Combat Games and FILA is proud to announce the selected athletes in the following categories:

 

No-Gi Men 70kg: Maciej Polok (POL), Martin Hedenbergh (SWE), Aleksandar Kamenov (BUL), Tom Lecuyer (USA), Carlos Polo (ESP), Yuriy Shtembulyak (UKR), Mathieu Husson (FRA), and Ciro Ruotolo (ITA).

 

No-Gi Men 80kg: David Pierre Louis (FRA), Bernardo Serrini (ITA), K. Lukaszewicz (POL), Svetlozar Savov (BUL), Sergiy Sergienko (UKR), Andrey Rychin (RUS), Andras Mathe (HUN), and Malte Janssen (GER).

 

No-Gi Men 90kg: Mats Nilsson (SWE), Takanori Kuno (JPN), Nico Penzer (GER), Zbigniew Tyszka (POL), Srjan Rokvic (SRB), Lamberto Raffi (ITA), Jose Rodenas (ESP), and Valentyn Zagorulko (UKR).

 

No-Gi Women 60kg: Sheila Bird (CAN), Laurence Fouillat-Cousin (FRA), Julia Klammsteiner (ITA), Tara La Rosa (USA), Olga Starubinska (UKR), Evelin Banyai (HUN), Irena Preiss (POL), and Monique-Ann Strydom (RSA).

 

Pankration Men 70kg: Oleksandr Vysotskyi (UKR), Dave Torres (USA), Rasul Mirzaev (RUS), Fabio Perlangeli (ITA), Laurent Meseguer (FRA), Nurbek Kazhagaliyev (KAZ), Csaba Hollosi (HUN), and Rafal Czechowski (POL).

 

Pankration Men 80kg: Sotaro Yamada (JPN), Vasyl Novikov (UKR), Lukasz Srebnicki (POL), John Friedland (USA), Andras Mathe (HUN), Sergio Lousa (POR), Anatoly Tokov (RUS), and Bauyrzhan Bergali (KAZ).

 

Pankration Men 90kg: Sergiy Guzev (UKR), Y. Aliantsevich (BLR), Mayindur Magomedov (RUS), Nurbek Karabalayev (KAZ), Dimitri Milosevic (FRA), M. Rousohatzakis (GRE), Shirai Masayoshi (JPN), and S. Safinejadotaghsaraei (IRI). 

 

The championships under FILA guidelines similar to those already used in wrestling, also saw the amalgamation of the Grappling and Pankration referees. Similar to the athletes, the top 8 referees were selected to officiate at the SportAccord Combat Games. The list will soon be released, but FILA would like to congratulate all referees for their efforts in improving themselves. The event was a wonderful example to other nations, of how the national Wrestling and Grappling Federations can work together to host a major international event.  FILA acknowledges the exemplary work of the Polish Wrestling Federation for its technical support, experience and advice provided, but also the hands on work by many wrestling officials in helping run this event. FILA also recognises the professionalism and enthusiasm of the Polish Grappling Committee and its members in their preparation for hosting these World Championships.  

 

Download the No-Gi results

 

Download the Gi results

 

Download the Pankration results

 

Corsier Open and Referees' Course

 

The FILA headquarters hosted the second international referees' course in grappling, pankration, and combat grappling on 13-14 March 2010. The course was led by the French referees Christophe Levy and Axel Fontaine and FILA thanks them for their contribution. The correspondences between the styles were underlined, notably through the comparision of the three sets of regulations and refereeing systems. The philosophy promoted by FILA at the moment consists in a rapprochement of grappling, pankration and combat grappling in order to allow the athletes and referees to easily switch discipline and be more polyvalent. In the same line as the wrestling championships that are systematically organized in the three Olympic styles, FILA will require the organizers of future championships to include grappling, pankration, and combat grappling in the same events. In a general manner, the combat grappling regulations were built by bringing together the points for positions in force in grappling and the striking points in force in pankration and by adding the head as a legal target in order to offer the most realistic version of amateur Mixed Martial Arts. The regulations were put to test for the first time on the occasion of the Corsier Open that followed the referees' course. Despite a rather low participation, the referees could put their knowledge to practice and learn from the experience. Some loopholes could be identified, notably regarding the restart positions after the loss of helmet and the side referees' gestures that were not effective. The regulations will soon be updated and published on the FILA website.

 

FILA is pleased to announce that all the referees who took part in the course obtained their title of category-III international referee, namely: Laurent Michel (FRA), Ahmed Korchi (FRA), Patrice Darce (FRA), Andrew Brownbridge (GBR), Simon Nogler (ITA), Alessandro Federico (ITA), and Gabor Vincze (HUN). In addition, FILA thanks the certified referees who also attended the course: Armin Heiss (AUT), Heinrich Steiner (AUT), Petros Drakakis (GRE), Maximilien de Langsdorff (FRA), and Valer Papp (HUN).

 

FILA invites all the grappling and pankration fans to follow the World Championship that will take place in Cracow (POL) on 26-28 March 2010. It is reminded that the Championship will serve as qualifier for the SportAccord Combat Games that will be held in Beijing (CHN) on 01-02 September 2010. The eight best grapplers in 70-80-90kg men and in 60kg women as well as the eight best pankratiasts in 70-80-90kg will be invited to participate in the Games at the organizer's expenses. The eight best referees of the Championship will also be qualified to officiate at the Combat Games. The Games will also be a major event for the eight best female wrestlers in 48-55-63-72kg who were qualified on the occasion of the 2009 World Championship in Herning. Belt wrestling will also be celebrated with one weight category and eight athletes qualified in Alysh, Ssireum, and Tatar wrestling. 

 

Ukrainian Grappling & Pankration Championship

 

The Ukraine Pankration Federation held its National Championship in Pankration and Grappling in Kharkov on 07-08 February 2010. Mrs. Anne Pellaud, FILA Non-Olympic Styles Manager, and Mr. Rafael Perlungher were invited to attend the competition and participate in several meetings with important representatives of the Ukrainian sport authorities. Their journey started in Kiev where they were welcomed by Mr. Alexander Mandrik, First Vice-present of the Ukraine Pankration Federation and member of the World Pankration Athlima Committee. The first meeting took place at the headquarters of the Sport Committee of Ukraine where the prospect of organizing major FILA events was discussed with Mr. Illia Shevliak, President of the Sport Committee. Mr. Shevliak confirmed his great interest in the promotion of the non-Olympic styles governed by FILA and announced that the infrastructures built for the European soccer championship in 2012 would greatly serve any future FILA event. The second meeting of the day took place at the Non-Olympic Department of the Ministry of Sport and was also very informative. The FILA delegates could meet with Mr. Aleksander Artemiev, Director of the Department, and go over the policies pursued in the country with regards to the development of the non-Olympic sports. Ukraine is one of the only countries that offers governmental support to the non-Olympic disciplines and this active help greatly favors the fast growth of sports such as pankration, grappling, or MMA. The actions undertaken by the government and the passion for all combat sports shown by the Ukrainian citizens make this country a very good partner for FILA. The third official meeting took place on Sunday, day of the presidential elections in Ukraine.  Despite his tight schedule, Mr. Viktor Korzh, member of the Parliament of Ukraine, Vice-president of the NOC of Ukraine, and Chairman of the Ukraine Pankration Federation, honored the FILA delegates with his presence and organised a lunch meeting during which the strategies to increase the popularity of pankration and grappling in Ukraine and around the world were discussed. 

 

The FILA delegates' visit was also the occasion of an international referees' course in pankration, grappling, and combat grappling. The course was led by Mr. Rafael Perlungher and Mr. Alexander Mandrik. All participants in the course had great previous knowledge in the submission and fighting arts and actively contributed to the seminar by asking very precise questions. They were generally delighted by the new concept developed by FILA around the three disciplines and common refereeing system. The best of them will be sent to the World Grappling and Pankration Championship that will take place in Cracow on 26-28 March 2010 and will try to qualify for the upcoming SportAccord Combat Games.

 

At the end of their visit, the FILA delegates also approved the organization of the first international tournament under the FILA rules to take place in Ukraine. The tournament will be called "Ukrainian Golden Cup" and will be held in Kharkov on 19-21 April 2010. It will be open to all affiliated countries and showcase a competition in pankration, grappling, and combat grappling, for the first time since the launching of this discipline. FILA is very excited about this event and hopes that participants will be numerous to attend this first competition dedicated to amateur MMA. 

 

The Ukraine Pankration Federation is the first National Federation that has included pankration, grappling, and combat grappling under its umbrella. This move was a very sound one now that all three disciplines are tightly interlinked and that the major FILA events will hold all three of them together. FILA encourages other National Committees or Federations to follow this example in order to further unify the various fighting communities in their countries. 

 

German Grappling League - Alea Jackta Est!

 

 

With the initiation of the German Grappling League, another exciting chapter in the history of FILA Grappling has started. Not unlike the immensly popular German wrestling "Bundesliga" the grappling league will feature tightly organized team championships. The two founders, Daniel Ackerman and Franco de Leonardis - both well-known athletes in the international grappling communities - have managed to bring in other major players in the German-speaking grappling scene, such as Rafael Perlungher (Head of FILA Grappling Europe), Peter Angerer, and Frank Stäblein from the German Top Team. Other important contributors include Malte Janssen, Matthias Siebert, Michael Hockenjos, and Roland Laritz, just to name a few. 

 

Although more than 30 teams applied, only 12 teams have been included into the league. They have been divided into two geographical zones: North and South. The North group includes: Grappling Team Berlin (Frank Burczynski), Taifun Luta Livre Düsseldorf (Armin Eslami), Ruhrpott Lutadores (Jean-Claude Capanna & Thomas Holtmann), Cologne Freefighters/Grappling Team Bonn (Mike Cüppers & Marcel Pino), Sparta Essen (Les Herden), and Grappling Team Hamburg (Matthias Sieber & Göksel Böttcher). The South group includes: Arte Suave/Stallion Cage Stuttgart (Franjo & Dominik Artukovic), German Top Team (Peter Angerer), Team Yogaka Root (Switzerland - Rafael Perlungher), Grappling Union Dornbirn (Austria - Roland Laritz), Suum Cuique Mainz (Frank Stäblein, Daniel Ackerman & Matthias Werner), and Monkeys Aschaffenburg (Franco de Leonardis). 

 

A limited amount of athletes will have to be registered at the beginning of the year and teams will be limited to these athletes during the league year. The German League as it is planned now will allow teams from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. All participants have to be FILA licenced and all teams will have to be part of their National Grappling Federation. 

 

 

The teams will face each other for the first time on 20 March 2010, in Dortmund for the North group and in Aschaffenburg for the South group. The competition will take place according to the FILA rules and weight categories (-65, -70, -75, -80, -90, +90 kg). The only exception to the FILA rules will be the allowance of heel hooks, generally considered to cause serious knee injuries. A report on this issue will be made after the first season of the German Grappling League to assess the validity of this decision.

 

 

The first and second of each group will be qualified for the playoffs where the winner of the league will be crowned. FILA is convinced that the concept is called to a bright future and will soon be duplicated in other countries, thus opening gates to the European Grappling League that has been on FILA's mind for quite some time. FILA wishes the German Grappling League and its initiators a great success!

 

More information can be found on the official German Grappling League website ww.deutsche-grappling-liga.de and in the article published in Groundandpound.de.

 

Synchronization of Grappling, Pankration & Combat Grappling

 

FILA has recently updated the Grappling and Pankration regulations and released the brand new international rules for Combat Grappling, the amateur form of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) that will be developed and promoted as per 2010. The three disciplines being tightly interlinked, notably because of their common management by many National Committees and their common participation in international competitions, FILA had to find a way to unify and standardize the three sets of rules.

 

The first measure taken was to unify the competition uniforms and protection gear in order to allow the athletes to switch from one discipline to the other without having to invest in several sets of equipment. The No-Gi grappling uniform (red for the first grappler called and blue for the second grappler called) will be the same as the combat grappling uniform (the rashguard will however be optional). The Gi used in grappling (white for the first grappler called and of any color for the second grappler called) will serve for pankration as well. Pankratiasts will have the choice between wearing a Gi or the traditional endyma according to their preference. The protection gear used in pankration (gel-filled MMA gloves and shin protectors) will be the same as the one required for combat grappling (with an additional helmet for the A-class athletes). FILA is in the process of approving protection gear and the selected models will soon be released. The senior World Grappling and Pankration Championship being early this year, an exception will be made for the Gis used in grappling. If athletes do not have a set of white and color Gis, belts will be used again to part the competitors. In order to match the colors of the Gis worn by the pankratiasts with the endymas, only white and blue Gis will be accepted.  

 

The second measure pertains to the refereeing system. The grappling, pankration, and combat referees will have to be interchangeable and will therefore wear the same uniform and have common verbal and hand signals. Grappling matches will still be refereed by a central referee in charge of the orderly conduct of the bout and of awarding the points to the grapplers and a mat judge in charge of supervising the mat table, keeping score, and cooperating with the central referee in case a consultation is needed. The refereeing system in pankration had to undergo a deep reform in order to comply with the international standards set by FILA. From now on, pankration matches will be refereed by a central referee in charge of the orderly conduct of the bout and of the athletes' protection. Two side referees will stand facing each other and keep score by means of clickers. At the end of the match, both of their scores will be added up and devided by two in order to reach the most accurate score. When the international refereeing body will grow, three side referees will be assigned to each match in order to further increase the accuracy of the final score. The pankration matches will also be supervised by a mat chairman who will be responsible for controlling the table staff, announcing the final score, classification points, and winner.

 

The refereeing system adopted for combat grappling is a mix of grappling and pankration. A central referee will be in charge of the orderly conduct of the bout and of awarding the points for ground positions. Two side referees will record the striking points by means of clickers and a match chairman will supervise the work of all three referees assigned to the matches. Through this system, FILA intends to be able to hold international events that will allow athletes and referees to easily participate in all three styles, thus encouraging the permeability of these sister disciplines and increasing the athletes' chances of medals by multiplicating the number of bouts in an event. 

 

Important Changes in the FILA Grappling Regulations

 

 

Weight Classes

 

In order to unify the rules and participation in Grappling, Pankration and Combat Grappling competitions, FILA has adopted new weight categories for these three styles. Compared to last year's grappling categories, one weight class has been added for men and women to provide smaller weight differences in the lighter categories. The new categories are as follows and come into effect immediately:

 

Men: 60-65-70-75-80-90-110kg and Absolute

Women: 50-55-60-65-75kg and Absolute 

 

Participation Quota

 

Starting in 2010, the participation in senior World and Continental Championships will be limited to 1 competitor per country and per category. This measure has been taken in order to increase the fairness towards countries with unequal economic ressources.  

 

 

2010: Upcoming FILA Grappling Events 

 

 

Please refer to the international caldendar for detailed information and programmes. 

 

2010 will be the year of reinforcement and further development of the fast growing sport of grappling among long-time established martial arts and within the international sport community. The first major meeting of the year will be the 3rd World Championship held in Cracow (POL) on 26-27 March 2010. The event will also serve as qualifyer for the SportAccord Combat Games that will take place in Beijing (CHN) on 03-04 September 2010. The first eight grapplers in the following weight classes will be automatically qualified: No-Gi Men 70-80-90kg and No-Gi Women 60kg. The qualified athletes and referees will have their expenses (travel and accommodation) covered by the organizing committee and will be able to enjoy participating in this unprecedented martial art event that will take place in the 2008 Beijing Olympic wrestling venue. For more information on SportAccord (i.e., the governing body of all International Federations), please visit their website at www.agfisonline.com. For the moment, the event website is only available in Chinese, but the English version will soon be released.

 

Another important event will be the first Cadet and Junior World Championship and second Veteran World Championship that will be organized in Dakovo (CRO) on 20-22 August 2010. At the same time and place, an international tournament for novice and schoolboys will be held. After the SportAccord Combat Games, the second edition of the European Championship will take place in Gorlice (POL) on 23-26 September 2010. Gorlice will also welcome the first European Championship for the new discipline of Combat Grappling right after the No-Gi and Gi competitions. 

 

Many National Committees have sent requests to host international Opens in 2010. For the moment, FILA received prosposals for the following events: Austrian Open, Hungarian Open, Swiss Open, German Open, Italian Open, Canadian Invitational, and Mediterranean Games in Greece. They are all under pending approval and official information will soon be published in the calendar. Countries wishing to host an international tournament next year can send their proposal of dates and places at info(at)fila-grappling.com. 

 

 

2009: The Year that Changed the Face of Grappling

 

 

Although having included grappling as an official associated style since 2007, FILA had to wait until 2009 to get a firm grip on the discipline and reach out to the international grappling community. Through the establishment of a new set of rules clearly geared towards the needs of today's sumbssion fighting styles, common grounds were created to give athletes from diffrent fighting backgrounds the opportunity to fairly compete at the international level. With the first World Championship organized in Lucerne (SUI) in December 2008, it became obvious to everyone that a structured international governing body had become essential to bring grappling a step further. FILA thus appointed a new World Committee formed of continental representatives in charge of affiliating and developing national structures on their respective continent. The strong submission fighting background of each Committee member contributed to an unprecedented growth of the grappling activity throughout the world. 

 

The difficult process of finding the best representative in each country slowed down the affiliation process in the beginning, but then led to the emergence of a strong  international network of national committees that helped spread the philosophy and values defended by FILA. The hundred-year-old experience and Olympic background contributed to the implementation of professional tournament structures that were welcomed by athletes used to somewhat lower standards. All tournament organizers were offered support in logistics and manpower to reach optimum organizing conditions. Even if all first attempts were not perfect, the tight cooperation between FILA and its National Committees is a guarantee for a solid improvement of future grappling events.         

 

Thanks to their dedication, the organizers of the FILA Opens and Championships greatly contributed to the fast-paced growth that characterized grappling in 2009. At this point, FILA would like to acknowledge and thank the organizers of the following events: Austrian Open - Swiss Open - Canadian Invitational - Hungarian Open - Italian Open. The World Belt Wrestling Committee also greatly contributed to last year's success by welcoming the 1° senior European Championship and the 1° veteran World Championship within the World Wrestling Games that took place in Siauliai (LTU). FILA also would like to thank USA Wrestling for taking over the organization of the 2° World Championship held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  

 

The groundbreaking news of the year 2009 was without a doubt the announcement of the acceptance of grappling within the program of the SportAccord Combat Games that will take place in Beijing (CHN) in September 2010. That major multi-sport event will be the first occasion for grappling to be showcased next to Olympic sports such as Wrestling, Judo, Boxing, Taekwondo, and other established sports such as Karate, Sumo, Muay Thai, or Pankration. Such participation brings the attention and future of grappling to a whole new dimension and FILA is extremely proud of having helped to achieve such an important goal with grappling.  

 

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