The Minister of Defense has taken the helm of the Kazakhstan Federation of Sports and Combat Sambo, as reported by the business information center Kapital.kz, citing the press service of the Ministry of Defense.
All members of the federation unanimously voted for the candidacy of Ruslan Zhaksylykov. He replaces Aidos Akzhanov in this position.
The new leader of the public organization, Ruslan Zhaksylykov, is a master of sports of the USSR in judo and a multiple champion and prize-winner of national and international sambo and judo competitions.
“I express my gratitude to the federation members for their productive work and the trust they have placed in me. We plan to integrate sports and combat sambo into the training system for personnel in military and law enforcement activities. We have a significant amount of work ahead to scale the development of this sport, including its military application,” said Colonel General Ruslan Zhaksylykov.
The new president of the federation outlined his action plan for the near future.
“In 2025, sambo will be included in the program of the Military Sports Games of friendly armies of CIS member states and in the Spartakiad of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan. A series of events is planned for the development of military-patriotic education for youth, and an open national tournament in sambo for the Cup of the Minister of Defense of Kazakhstan will take place. We aim to open a sambo section at the Almaty Military Sports College named after Bauyrzhan Momyshuly, prioritizing children from large families, military personnel, and rural youth. For mass development, we will invite combat sambo instructors to the Armed Forces,” shared the federation president.
Regional federations will also see development. Currently, over 40,000 people are engaged in more than 1,100 sambo sections, the Ministry of Defense added.