European Games: sambo, sport and politics in Baku

Olympic warm-up event in Azerbaijan overshadowed by human rights allegations

Baku 2015 European Games
(Image credit: Getty)

Stand down the Twitter mobs - sambo isn't what you think. It's a sport, admittedly not one you're likely to see on primetime Sky Sports any day soon. Developed as a combat sport by the Soviet Union's Red Army in the 1920s, it combines judo, ju jitsu and wrestling.

Sounds like a blast, and if you want to see sambo in action, tune into the inaugural European Games that start today in Baku. That's the capital of Azerbaijan for the geographically-challenged.

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