In Sambo Competitions Rules (later Rules) the most important issues of officiating, competition organization and the work of officials are dealt with.
The edition is meant for coaches, officials, organizers and broad sections of athletes practicing Sambo.
The Rules are intended for obligatory direction in organization and conduct of Sambo competitions (sports and combat) starting from January 1, 2006.

Part 1. Character and Methods of Conducting Competitions

Article 1. Character of competitions

• By its character the competitions are divided into:
  a) individual,
  b) team,
  c) individual-team,
  d) classification (Open mat).
• The character of the competitions is defined by the Competition Regulations (later Regulations) set for a certain contest (see appendix 1).
• In individual contests only individual results and the places of participants in their weight categories shall by defined.
• In team competitions the teams meet each other and by the results of these meets the team places shall be defined.
• In individual-team competitions individual places of participants shall be defined, the place of the team is defined depending on individual results of its contestants and in accordance with the Competition Regulations.
• In classification competitions individual and team places are not defined, but the results are taken into consideration to improve or confirm the participants' sports qualification.

Article 2. Systems and Methods to Conduct Competitions

• At the competitions the contestants compete in one group (system with no subgroups) or by means of a draw they are divided into several groups (system with subdivision into subgroups). In the last case the principle according to which the best contestants proceed to the next stage of competitions and the worst ones are eliminated should by explained additionally. In this case the competitions shall be divided into preliminary ones and finals.
• Within every stage the competitions may be held according to one of the two methods:
  a) circular, when each contestant meets every other ones;
  b) with contestants' elimination after the number of defeats set by the Regulations.
• The order of bouts among contestants (teams) shall be defined by the drawing of lots (a draw) and chosen system and method to conduct the competitions.
• The system and the method to conduct preliminary and final parts of the competitions shall be stated by the Regulations.
• Systems with different variations of combination methods to conduct the preliminary part and the finals are described, as well as the methods of conducting team competitions by the results of which the placing in team competitions is defined (see appendixes 2.1, 2.2; 3.1, 3.2; 4.1, 4.2, 4.3; 5; 6.1, 6.2, 6.3)

Part 2.Contestants

Article 3.Age groups

All the contestants shall be divided into the following age groups:

Article 4. Admission to the Competitions

• The conditions of the contestants' admission to the competition, their sports membership, qualification and age, as well as the list of documents to be submitted to the Mandate Commission, shall be stipulated by the competition Regulations.
  Participants of International Competitions included into the Calendar of the International Amateur Sambo Federation (FIAS) must possess the International competitor's license.
• Entry lists from an organization for its members' participation shall be made in the prescribed form (appendix 7) with the compulsory, certified by stamps, signatures of the head of the organization, the coach and the doctor verifying the competitors' corresponding readiness. The date to submit preliminary entries is stated by the competition Regulations. The final entry to participate in competitions shall be submitted to the Mandate Commission by the team representative not later than 2 hours before the weigh-in starts.
• Admission of competitors is accomplished by the Mandate Commission including a representative of the organization conducting the competitions, Chief official or his deputy, Chief Secretary, Chief Doctor and members of the commission who check entries and competitors' documents and their correspondence to the Regulation requirements.
  The representative of the host organization is responsible for competitors' admission in questionable situations.
• Competitors' admission is accomplished in accordance with the given Regulations but it is permitted to admit to a certain age group the players who were born a year earlier.
• Athletes who are of 17 years of age have the right to compete in senior groups.

Article 5. Weight Categories

Participants of competitions are distributed into the following weight categories:

In the junior and senior groups (men and women) the competitions for the Absolute Champion may be held without competitors' distribution into weight categories. Minimum weight in such competitions shall be stated in the Regulations.

Article 6. Weigh-in

• The object of the weigh-in is to state the correspondence of competitors' weight to the limits of one of the weight categories. A competitor has the right to compete at the given competition only in the weight category stated for him at the weigh-in.
• The order and time of the weigh-in shall be stated in the Regulations. A competitor who is late to the weigh-in or misses it is not admitted to the competitions.
  During 1 hour before the start of the weigh-in contestants are allowed to get on the scales used for the official weigh-in as many times as they wish.
  The weigh-in shall be held one time on the first day of competitions or a day before and shall last 1 hour. If the weigh-in is held on the day of the competitions it shall begin not less than 2 hours before the beginning of the competitions.
  It is allowed to use several scales but competitors of a certain weight category shall be weighed on the same scales.
• The weigh-in shall be held by officials’ team appointed by the Chief official including a Chief official deputy (one of Mat chairmen), a representative of the competition secretariat, a doctor and two or three officials.
• Before the weigh-in all the competitors shall undergo appearance medical control held by the competition doctor. Competitors shall be weighed in a special room or behind the screen, half-naked: men wearing athletic supporters, women-low-necked swimsuits.
• At the weigh-in a competitor shall submit the document with a photo certifying his or her identity, competitor’s license, insurance, medical control card and the filled in form.
• Results of the weigh-in are entered in the score sheet (appendix 8) that shall be signed by all the members of the officials’ team.

Article 7. Competitor's Duties and Rights

• A competitor is obliged:
  
  • to observe strictly the Rules, Program and competition Regulations;
  • to obey officials’ demands;
  • to come forward to the mat immediately when called by the Board of Officials;
  • to inform immediately the Board of Officials in case it is impossible because of any reason to continue the competition;
  • to shake hands with the opponent before and after the bout;
  • to be correct in relation to all competitors, officials, people who conduct and serve the competitions and spectators;
  • to compete shaved or with a short beard of several months growth, nails closely cut, wearing a neat sports dress licensed by FIAS.
• A participant has the right:
  
  • to appeal to officials through the representative of his/her team; in the course of individual competitions (in case the representative is absent) to address the Chief official directly;
  • 1 hour prior to the start of the weigh-in check the body weight on the official scales;
  • in proper time to get the necessary information of the course of the competitions: the Program, changes in the Program if any, pairing for the next round, the results of the bouts, etc.;
  • to use 2 minutes in the course of the bout to get medical aid.

Article 8. Dress

• Competitor’s dress consists of: the jacket, Sambo shoes and shorts. Besides, the male participants may wear a protective athletic supporter or non-metallic groin-guards and females – the bra and high-necked swimsuit.
  The Sambo jacket shall be of red and blue color of special cut and the belt made of some cotton fabric.
  The sleeve shall cover the arm up to the hand, the width of the sleeve shall make the clear space not less than 10 cm in between the arm and the sleeve along its length. On the line of the waist there shall be two holes at the distance of 5 cm, before and behind of the side seam, to run the belt through.
  The belt shall be put through these holes twice and tightly embrace the body and tied in front by the knot, fastening together its both ends.
  The ends of the tied belt shall not exceed 15 cm. The laps of the jacket shall be 20-25 cm lower than the waist line.
  At all the official competitions only jackets with FIAS emblem (patent) are allowed to use.
  Sambo shoes shall be made of soft leather with a soft sole and without any protruding stiff parts. All the seams should be closed up inside.
  Ankles and feet at the big toe joint shall be protected by small felt pads covered with leather.
  Sambo shorts shall be made of woolen, half-woolen or synthetic jersey of red or blue color.
  Their upper part shall reach the waist line and the lowest one shall cover one third of a hip.
• Competitors shall appear for the Opening and Awarding ceremonies wearing the sports uniform of their team.
• It is forbidden to wear during the bout rings, bracelets, ear rings, chains and other objects that might cause injury to the opponent.

Article 9. Team Representatives, Coaches and Captains

• A Representative (head) of a certain team comes in between the Officiating Board and competitors. In case the team has no special representative its coach or captain shall fulfill his duties.
• The representative is responsible for the discipline of his team competitors and ensures their presence at the competitions in time.
• The representative shall participate in the drawing of lots, meetings of the Officiating Board if it is held jointly with them.
• A representative has the right to submit to the Chief official a verbal and written protest (see article 37) grounded by the reference to the article and paragraph of the Rules.
• Representatives, coaches and team captains are forbidden to interfere in the directions of officials and persons conducting competitions.
• In the course of competitions a representative shall stay at a special place intended for representatives.
• A representative (coach) can not act as an official at the given competitions.
• For non-compliance with the duties a representative can be discharged from the leadership of the team.
• In the course of the bout the coach (in a sports uniform) has to second the bout staying at a special place set for that near the mat, not leaving it during the bout and not interfering in the work of the officials.

Part 3. Officials

Article 10. Composition of the Officiating Board

• The composition of the Officials Board is recommended by the corresponding Sambo Federation.
• The officials shall consist of: Chief Officiating Board – Chief official, Chief official deputies, mat chairmen, Chief secretary ; referees, judges, timekeepers, secretaries, announcers, officials attached to competitors; serving personnel – commentators, doctors, superintendent and others (calculation of the necessary number of officials and serving staff is given in appendix 9).
• The officiating team for each bout shall consist of: 1 mat chairman, 1 referee, 1 judge, 1 timekeeper, 1 technical secretary and an informant (announcer).
• The neutral officials’ trio shall evaluate competitors’ actions in the course of the bout: the mat chairman, the referee and the judge representing three different teams. Each of them evaluates the competitors’ actions independently and while considering protests and questionable moments shall ground his actions by corresponding Regulations of the Rules.
• An official shall have the official’s uniform (costume), the official’s card (certificate), the license, Rules of the competitions and the whistle. The official’s uniform (costume) shall consist of a white shirt with two-color sleeves (red right sleeve and blue left one), white trousers, socks and sports shoes approved by FIAS. On the left side of the chest there shall be the official’s emblem of the corresponding category.

Article 11. The Chief Official

• The Chief official directs the competitions and is responsible for their conduct in accordance with the present Rules and Regulations to the organization arranging the competitions and the corresponding Sambo federation.
• The Chief Official is obliged:
  • a) to check the readiness of the venue for the competitions, the equipment and inventory outfit, their correspondence to the requirements of the present Rules, draw up a Statement of the venue acceptance (appendix 10) and also to be convinced that all the necessary documents are available;
  • to appoint officials for the weigh-in;
  • to hold the drawing of lots;
  • to approve the schedule of the competitions;
  • to distribute officials to the teams for separate mats;
  • to hold the meetings of the officials and team representatives before the start of the competitions (to announce the Rules and the officials’ order of work) and every day after their end (to discuss the course of the competitions and results of the day) and also when it is necessary during the competitions;
  • to take all the measures to avoid or correct when necessary mistakes made by officials;
  • in proper time to make decisions on applications and protests submitted by team representatives (coaches, captains) in accordance with article 37;
  • to approve pairing off for the finals and appoint officiating teams to conduct them;
  • to evaluate the work of every member of the officials (taking in account his/her direct chief opinion) according to 5 point system;
  • within 3 days to submit the report (see appendix 11) to the organization conducting the competitions.
• The Chief Official has the right:
  
  • to cancel competitions in case the venue or inventory outfit do not correspond to the Rules before their beginning;
  • to interrupt the bout, to make a break or to stop the competitions in case of unfavorable conditions preventing normal conduction of competitions;
  • to make changes in the Program and schedule of the competitions in case of the utmost necessity;
  • to change the officials functions in the course of the competitions;
  • to withdraw officials for gross errors or those who fail to fulfill their duties, marking it in the report and informing the Board of Officials of the corresponding Federation;
  • to declare a warning (or withdraw from carrying out their duties) to representatives, coaches and captains for rude behavior or arguments with the officials and those submitting groundless protests.
  • to delay the declaring of the technical action evaluation or the result of the bout if officials’ opinions differ and in case he disagrees with their opinion, for additional discussion and final decision
  • to declare the final decision on evaluation of the technical action or the result of the bout in a questionable situation if one of the three officials supports his decision
  • to change the sequence of bouts in the finals if it becomes necessary.
• The Chief Official has no right to change the competition Regulations and withdraw or change officials in the course of the bout.
• It is obligatory for contestants, officials, team representatives and coaches to fulfill the Chief official's directions.
• On the instructions of the Chief Official his functions at the competitions can be accomplished by his deputy or one of the mat chairmen.

Article 13. The Mat Chairman

• The mat chairman shall be seated at the table while officiating at the bout and direct the work of the officiating team.
• The mat chairman shall:
  
  • to compose the officiating teams for the bout with the Chief official’s permission;
  • to call and introduce the participants of the bout and also announce its result (in case the commentator is absent);
  • to evaluate the contestants’ actions and situations with the proper gestures (see appendix 12) and taking into account the opinion of the majority of votes declare the final decision;
  • when necessary or in case of a considerable disagreement of opinions among the three officials interrupt the bout and make the final decision after the additional discussion of the questionable situation;
  • after declaring the wrestler the second warning invite the Chief Official to the mat to discuss if the third warning should be declared.

Article 14. The Referee

• The referee, while on the mat and using the means of officiating signaling (the whistle, terms and gestures according to the appendix 12), directs the course of the bout, evaluates the contestants’ holds, actions and positions, follows the course of the bout and provides its proper conduct strictly according to the Rules.
• The Referee shall:
  • take part in contestants’ introduction,
  • blow the whistle to begin the bout and resume it after the breaks (if any) in Standing position in the middle of the mat.
  • interrupt the bout: - if the players get in the "off mat" position (see article 33);
    * if in the Ground position they are not active enough and don’t display any real attempts to apply technical actions;
    * if one of the contestants needs the medical assistance signaling it with the gesture “stop the time”;
    * if some disorder in a contestant’s dress is found;
    * if a contestant breaks the rules or is applying a prohibited hold and a caution or a warning shall be declared (except the case stated in p. 3 of the given article); – at the request of the mat chairman;
    * at the demand of the judge if the referee finds proper to do it at the given moment;
    * at the request of the contestant if the referee finds it proper at the given moment;
    * if he needs a consultation in the cases not foreseen by the Rules;
  • stop the bout ahead of time:
    * at the submission signal of the contestant who is in the Ground position;
    * if two of the three officials evaluate the throw applied by the contestant as a Total Victory;
    * if one of the contestants displays Great Superiority in the bout;
    * in case of the decision to eliminate the contestant from the bout or his disqualification;
  • blow the whistle by the gong signal to end the bout;
  • take both contestants hands in the middle of the mat when the result is declared and raise the winner’s arm.
• If the defensive player in Ground position applies a prohibited hold, the referee without interrupting the bout demands to stop the application of a prohibited hold and declares a warning. In case the contestant disobeys, the referee shall interrupt the bout, declare the player the second warning for the application of the prohibited hold and by the Chief of the Officials decision eliminate him from the bout (see article 30, p. 1, a).
• As soon as one of the contestants is taken for the hold-down the referee shall announce in a loud voice “Count Hold-down!” and make a proper gesture “hold-down”. After 10 seconds he shall say in a loud voice “Ten seconds!”, and after 20 seconds elapse he shall announce: “Hold-down is scored!” and with a corresponding gesture show the evaluation of it.
  If during the hold-down the defensive contestant assumes the position on his chest, stomach or buttocks when the angle between his back at the line of the shoulder-blades and the mat plane is more than 90 degrees, or he will push the opponent’s body off his own, or both of them find themselves in the “Off Mat” position (see article 33) the referee shall announce “Escape!” and lower his arm.
  If the top contestant switches from the hold-down to the painful hold the referee shall announce: “Out!”
• As soon as one of the Sambo wrestlers starts to apply a painful hold the referee shall announce in a loud voice “Count the time!” and make a proper gesture.
  Since that moment 60 seconds are given to apply a painful hold. After this time elapses the referee shall interrupt the bout with his whistle announcing: “Not valid!” and resume the bout in the middle of the mat. If the attacker applying the painful hold, before the time elapses, switches to a hold-down or other technical actions in Ground position or if the defensive wrestler escapes from the painful hold and counter attacks, the count of the time for the painful hold is stopped but the bout is not interrupted.
  In case one of the contestants starts a painful hold again 60 seconds are given anew.

Article 15. The Judge

• The judge is positioned near the mat opposite the officials’ table. If it is necessary, he may stand up from his seat and moving along the edge of the mat came closer to the contestants to see the situation better.
• The judge evaluates contestants’ actions independently signaling his evaluations with the proper gestures (see appendix 12).
• In all the cases when to his opinion the bout shall be interrupted, the judge makes a proper gesture thus attracting the referee’s attention and points out certain moments of the contest.