The president of the Cyprus Sambo Federation Marios Andreou expressed his sharp reaction in a comment to the newspaper “Politis”, stating discrimination against athletes.

“All countries accept the agreements reached, except Cyprus. This is sad”, he noted, claiming that in a significant part of international sport the corresponding restrictions have already been lifted.

“There is a high probability that the competitions will be cancelled”, he warned, emphasizing that Cyprus risks losing the arrival of about 500 people, as well as the opportunity to host international tournaments in subsequent years.

Marios Andreou recalled that Cyprus hosted the Sambo World Championship in 2024 in Larnaca and the European Championship in 2025 in Limassol, and both tournaments were held without the use of Russian national symbols.

Warning from the International Federation

In its letter of 10 November addressed to the president of the COA Yiannis Ioannou, the FIAS federation demanded urgent written confirmation that Russian and Belarusian athletes will be able to participate with their national symbols.

The federation recalled that from 1 January 2026 a decision entered into force allowing the participation of both countries with their national flags and anthems in competitions organized by it.

Moreover, as an example the Sambo World Championship in Thessaloniki in October 2026 was cited, where both delegations competed with their national symbols.

The International Federation warns that if participation under these conditions is not allowed, it may cancel the championship in Limassol and move it to another country. It also leaves open the possibility of suspending the holding of international tournaments in Cyprus for the coming years, as well as making demands for the payment of compensation.