From April 18 till April 20, 2008 in Saint Petersburg, Russia, the Second Martial Arts Olympics "East-West Open" will take place. Its carrying out is logical continuation of a fifteen-year history of the International Martial arts festivals "Sports Russia". During these years, festivals have collected more than thirty thousand participants from more than thirty countries of the world. More than hundred fifty thousand spectators could watch competitions of these great events. To festival, it became close in its frameworks. It became clear, that now it is something greater than festival, and organizers made decision to transform this sports holiday in Martial Arts Olympics. The First Martial Arts Olympics "East - West Open" in which have taken part more than six thousand sportsmen has taken place in 2007, awards in 660 nominations by 26 kinds of the program were played.
The name "East - West Open" designates much. It is both eastern culture of the martial arts, which have strongly located in the West, and spirit of great city of St.Petersburg, united Europe and Asia, the East and the West. For such name, there is also one more serious basis. Today, when the humankind balances on the verge of war of civilizations, it is necessary to feel unity of the world in all variety of its ethnoses and cultures, including martial arts, having made the unique form of opposition only sports duels.
We do not begin to change long-term tradition. And this time after many thousands parade there will be a colorful budo-show, and this time on twenty five tatamies, platforms, rings and dodyangs will run competitions under three versions of karate, duels in free style, wushu, two versions of taekwondo, kobu-do, a throwing of knifes, kum-do, the Greco-Roman wrestling and grappling.
The emblem of the Olympics which will be seen by winners of all age on the medals, rather precisely transfers, what all of us does it for: the globe surrounded with a black belt - a symbol of spiritual perfection and the skill, uniting people of good will of all countries.
We are grateful to those who all these years were with us, and we wait for you, brothers on martial arts, and new friends on our Olympics!
