There are a lot of discussions on contestants and their fights; and also the organization of the event itself. To get an inside look at the matters, we’ve interviewed representatives of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia, and also the RAA press relations officer.

Wiaczeslav Sharagovich from Belarus.

The fact that the championships took place in the capital, was very comfortable. There were some problems with checking into the hotel, but there are many hotels in Baku, so the problem’s been quickly solved. The organization was top-level. Everything was precise and to the point. We fought at six tables, which was comfortable and allowed everything to flow without delays and waiting. That’s very important – a long wait can rob one of one’s fighting spirit. Everything was great! Sports are popular in Azerbaijan and sportspeople get a lot of support from the state. Everything would be great if it wasn’t for the referees. The referees set up the fights always in favor to the contestant from the host country. One would need to be a gorilla to beat some of the settings I’ve seen. When straps needed to be used, the referee never tightened the strap, saying “This is my setting”! I’ve experienced that first hand. There’s only one place where referees are great – the Nemiroff World Cup. The rest of referees just favor their own fighters.

Sergey Tokarev, Ukraine.

I can say that about the Europeans – my arms had another successful test-drive laughs). The guys in my category were very strong and skilled, I wasn’t sure if I’ll win until the last moment. I’ve watched other categories and there are many new, promising fighters. The level of organization was respectable. The opening, on-line broadcast, the banquet. Such elements give the event a bit of glamour. But the placement of the podium and the lack of warm-up tables was bad.

Vadim Akperov, Russia.

I’ve won the European Championships – it’s one of the greatest moments of my life. I’ve been expecting this, because I was prepared, mentally and physically. The level of the contest was medium – I haven’t seen anything spectacular. I’m generally ok with the referees, but I also have some negative emotions. I’ve noticed no scrupulous drug control, there were supposed to be 80 tests! I also suspect that mostly only Russians were tested, almost no other nation went through this much scrutiny.

Ivan Dobrorezov, RAA PR officer.

The European Championships … I think it’s catastrophic when organizers promise a number of drug tests, and then perform only half of them. Up to date, only the Russian Championships were transparent, with use of all WADA standards. All medalists were tested, plus some random contestants. No comparison to Azerbaijan, where one medalist is tested twice (Spartak Zoloev), while others are passed by completely. Why was Krasimir Kostadinov omitted, for example? The EAF board of directors should make some swift changes.

Indeed, the European Championships left many questions and doubts. But let that be a lesson for future.

Artur Grigorian