Among those present at the forum was Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, right, and Olympic Council of Asia counterpart Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, left ©FIAS

Asian Sambo Union President Alamjon Mullaev spoke about the pace of the sport's development across the world during a speech on its upcoming debut appearance at the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games.

Sambo is one of 21 sports on the programme for this year's Games, which are scheduled to take place in Turkmenistan’s capital Ashgabat from September 17 to 27.

Speaking at a forum in Turkmen city Awaza, entitled "2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games: International Sports Cooperation for the sake of Peace and Progress", Uzbekistan's Mullaev specifically stressed the success sambo has experienced in Asia.

Having featured on the programme when Vietnamese city Danang staged the 2016 Asian Beach Games, sambo is also set to be contested at the 2018 Asian Games in the Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang.

Sambo featured on the sports programme of the inaugural European Games in Baku in 2015 ©Getty Images
Sambo featured on the sports programme of the inaugural European Games in Baku in 2015 ©Getty Images

Among those present at the forum was Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Olympic Council of Asia counterpart Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah.

Other notable attendees included Vyacheslav Durnov, chairman of the Organising Committee for the 2019 European Games in Minsk. 

Sambo is likely to be on the sports programme in Belarus’ capital having featured at the inaugural edition of the European Games in Baku in 2015.

The significance of Ashgabat 2017 for interstate interaction and sports development in the region was addressed at the forum.