Petersburg to Host Combat Games in 2013
Published: November 7, 2012 (Issue # 1734)
In Oct. 2013, St. Petersburg will play host to the Second SportAccord Combat Games, the biggest international sports event in the city since the 1994 edition of the Goodwill Games.
Over 8 days of competition, from Oct. 18 through 26, 2013, St. Petersburg will welcome more than 1,500 athletes representing around 100 countries, ranging from traditional martial arts nations to states where these challenging sports are only emerging.
The first SportAccord Combat Games, which attracted 1,500 athletes from 60 countries, were held in Beijing in 2010. SportAccord is an umbrella organization that connects international sports federations and companies involved in organizing sports events. Its declared mission is to bring sports closer to ordinary people and encourage community activities through sports.
The Games in Beijing showcased 13 martial arts, including both Olympic and non-Olympic events: Wushu, Aikido, Boxing, Judo, Ju-jitsu, Karate, Kendo, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Sambo, Sumo, Taekwondo and Wrestling. Nearly 120 gold medals were awarded to sportsmen from countries spanning all five continents.
It is expected that during the next edition of the Games the list of sports featured in the competitions will be increased to 15, with Fencing and Savate (also known as French boxing) included.
The event enjoys the support of the International Olympic Committee.
“The combat games celebrate the spirit of martial arts and the common values of these sports — namely, self-control, determination and mastery,” said David Neville, a representative of SportAccord, speaking Tuesday at a news conference at the Sports and Physical Culture Committee of the St. Petersburg government.
Neville, who this week inspected the future sites and sports venues which will host the competitions, said he is convinced that the city will benefit from hosting the next edition of the Games. “I have no doubt that these games will make history and become a great success,” Neville said.
This month, the organizing committee of the Second SportAccord Combat Games is organizing an open competition for a logo, which will become a key element in the promotion of the event, both in Russia and internationally.
“The event’s logo needs to reflect not only the values of the sports represented but also the cultural and historical heritage of the city of St. Petersburg,” said Pavel Zhuravlev, head of the event’s organizing committee. “We very much hope that St. Petersburg will get into the international spotlight as a major sports destination, and potentially a host city for further significant international competitions.”
Individual designers and companies wishing to take part in the contest should submit their ideas via www.rsbi.ru, the website of the Russian Federation of Martial Arts before Nov. 15.
“I do realize that we are holding the contest at short notice, but I would like to emphasize that this is rather a competition of ideas rather than that of a detailed concept,” Zhuravlev stressed. “Developing a concept will take longer, but ideally we would like to start working with the selected images by the end of November.”