At the end of last year, Auckland hosted the Third New Zealand National Championship in Sport and Combat SAMBO (FIAS). Andrey PIMENOV, the NZ Champion in the under-79 kg category, was named Best Athlete and awarded the Federation Prize 2025. In the photo, Andrey is pictured on the right, hand raised in victory.
This championship was a major milestone for the young SAMBO Federation of New Zealand.
Held at the iconic EVENTFINDA Arena in Auckland, the event featured both finals and
qualifying bouts. It marked the grand finale of the 2024 national tournament series, which determined the leading contenders for SAMBO Team NZ ahead of international competitions in 2025.
The past year was a landmark one for the Federation. Thanks to the combined efforts of our dedicated team of administrators, coaches, and referees, we successfully launched a new calendar of national competitions, including the Auckland Open and Waikato Open. In June, our athletes proudly brought home two bronze medals from the Asian and Oceania Championships in Macau – adding to New Zealand’s growing international tally of four bronze and one silver medal.
Three additional coaches achieved their FIAS Master titles, while four Master Classes and five training seminars were held for coaches and referees at National Levels B and C. These initiatives reached regions such as New Plymouth and Palmerston North, where SAMBO had previously been unknown.
As a result, SAMBO is now available in three additional clubs, joining an already strong
network that includes Auckland MMA, Core MMA, Hamilton SAMBO, Invercargill Carlson Gracie, JudoKwai NZ, Dilmurodov BJJ/SAMBO, Nippon Judo, and Dunedin Combat Sports School. Most recently, a SAMBO club in Central Otago (Cromwell) has opened its doors to children and adults alike, led by none other than national champion Andrey Pimenov. The cities of Whangarei and Christchurch are next in line, showing strong interest and potential for SAMBO development.
Looking ahead, 2025 promises an exciting lineup of international events. In April, the national team successfully participated in the Asian and Oceania Championship in Tashkent. In August,Combat SAMBO will be featured for the first time in the World Games programme, offering New Zealand a unique opportunity to showcase its top talent. Then in November, the World SAMBO Championships will take place in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan.
Let me now introduce you to Andrey Pimenov – the reigning New Zealand champion and head coach of the SAMBO Club in Central Otago.
Andrey was born in a small town in the north of Russia’s Tomsk region, where winter
temperatures could drop to a chilling -57°C. He recalls: “…When it was that cold, we didn’t have to go to school – but we still ran to the wrestling practice! Even though the gym was farther away than the school. I started with Greco-Roman wrestling for five years, but later switched to SAMBO – a decision I’ve never regretted. My coaches, Dmitry Anatolievich Kuzin and Kirill Olegovich Mozharov, helped me develop my signature throws and holds using my Greco-Roman base. I am incredibly grateful to them…”.
A father of three, Andrey had to step back from competitive sport while completing two
university degrees and working full-time. But after moving to New Zealand a year and a half ago, he found himself able to return to SAMBO, thanks to the country’s balanced pace of life and more available time. He fondly remembers the surprise of discovering the New Zealand SAMBO Federation website (www.sambo.nz).
Now, less than a year later, he is not only a national champion but also the founder of a new club in the South Island – thanks to the support of the New Zealand SAMBO Federation and myself as its president.
It is a pleasure to share the story of such a dedicated and dynamic athlete. Together, we are working to grow and promote this remarkable sport – now officially recognised as an Olympic discipline. Through our collective efforts, we are passing on valuable skills and tradition to the next generation. SAMBO: The Science of Winning.
Sergey Permitin, President of SAMBO Federation in New Zealand, Auckland
(Translated by Lena Naumova)