This decision was made at the FIAS Executive Committee hybrid format meeting last week, featuring people in-person and online.

It was attended by FIAS President Vasily Shestakov, secretary general Roberto Ferraris, vice-presidents Sergey Eliseev, Alamzhon Mullaev, Dalil Skalli, Omar Lopera and Andrey Klyamko, as well as Executive Committee members Laure Fournier, Cesar Arteaga, Tatiana Trivich, Chongkeum Moon, Merampi Iliadis, Nobuyuki Asai, Vladimir Yaprintsev and Vadim Rogach.

Eliseev detailed in a presentation a number of changes involved in the 2022 calendar including adding combat sambo into the programme of the World Youth and Junior Championships.

"Sports Sambo among women" has been added as a discipline for the World Masters Championship too.

World Cups are now to be held on four continents, a World Super Cup is to be arranged, open Continental Cups are to be arranged, and the World Cadet Championships are to be organised annually.

Participants also approved the introduction of the first International Sambo Tournament for the Blind and Visually Impaired as part of the World Super Cup in 2022.

"Today's meeting is already taking place in the new status of our organisation: on July 20 2021, in Tokyo, the International Sambo Federation received full recognition from the International Olympic Committee," said Shestakov.

"Once again I want to congratulate all of us on this important milestone in the development of our favourite sport."

Shestakov also mentioned the difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but praised the organisation's ability to host events despite this including the first FIAS President’s Cup and the first World Beach Sambo Championship.

He thanked President of the Cyprus Sambo Federation Marios Andreou for hosting the first World Beach Sambo Championship.

The next FIAS Congress is also to take place next month on November 11 on the eve of the World Sambo Championships in Tashkent in Uzbekistan.