Azerbaijan’s national sambo team will be represented by 15 athletes at the European Youth Championships, set to take place in Novi Sad from April 21 to 23, as the country continues to invest in developing its next generation of fighters, Idman.Biz reports.
According to youth sambo head coach Yagub Abdullayev, the squad will include Tuncay Shamil, a former judoka who was handed a 10-year suspension last year by the Azerbaijan Judo Federation for disciplinary violations.
“Among the 15 athletes travelling to Serbia is 20-year-old Tuncay Shamil, who will compete in the 98 kg category. He has earned this opportunity through his results – he became national champion at youth level and took third place at the senior championships. He is currently in excellent form and is one of our main hopes for a European title,” Abdullayev said.
Shamil, a multiple winner and medallist at international youth tournaments in judo, now returns to high-level competition in a different discipline, highlighting both his resilience and Azerbaijan’s depth in combat sports as it targets strong performances on the European stage.
