By the way, martial arts that are currently so multiform in Russia and former Soviet Union republics, during the remote soviet period were represented only with karate. So karate sustained the greatest loss. After the short period of the karate official acceptance it got no longer loved by the authorities. In the early 1980s the article 219 "prima” appeared in the USSR Criminal Code. It is hard to believe that this article provided social renegades who taught soviet people this alien martial art with seven years' imprisonment and confiscation of property. Several native legendary pioneers of karate, both Russian at present and from the whole Soviet Union, felt dislike of the authorities to their ardors by real long-term prison times.

Many things have change since the beginning of the perestroika, when the barriers between the capitalistic and socialist countries disappeared and martial arts acquired the official entitlement in the USSR again. This made it possible for Master Nikolai Smirnov, who is currently the president of International Martial Arts Confederation, and his team to go on tournament to the USA in autumn of 1991. The most important results of this tour were not only victories in the competitions but also meetings with masters from different countries. These predetermined creation of the new organization.

Rather not so. The main result of the tour was the idea to hold big competitions between sportsmen of Russia and the USA. Many things wereaccomplished in order to show to the possible partners, and these were grandmaster E Bong Choi , master John Kanzler and businessman George Plasko, that the idea was real. The Russian team went to the USA again, Choi and Kanzler visited Yakutia, Uzbekistan, Saint-Petersburg and … they dared. Certainly, George Plasko's business talent played a huge role. He managed to carry out a competent advertising campaign which resulted that in 1993 two hundred fifty American sportsmen arrived on the First Festival to Russia, a country incomprehensible by anybody, known only from western "horror stories", a country that had just leant out from behind the Iron Curtain. Later there was a Second Festival, then the Third...

It was hard. «Kind» ill-wishers, who are, unfortunately, always present somewhere not far away from the big business, took advantage of the opportunity with the article –«Two's company, three's none». Thanks to them, we became a bit more fierce, and thus ­– more persistent. Much was implemented in order to have confidence in possibility of carrying out large-scale competitions in the future: new tours of adherents that found each other to Uzbekistan and the republic Sakha, to Omsk and Pittsburgh, to Caracas and to York, to Belarus and to Saint-Petersburg. There were seminars, certifications, competitions held and "AIMAC” branches opened. The first steps of the new organization were the following: the International Tournament in Pittsburgh, the USA (October of 1992), the First International festival of martial arts «Free Russia» (Saint-Petersburg, June of 1993), the Open championship of "AIMAC" on martial arts in Siberia (Omsk, February of 1994), the Open championship of "AIMAC" in the North America (Common Bond Championship) (the USA, York, May of 1995). The selected name – International Martial Arts College – predetermined the format of competitions and training activities. Its basis is to represent all palette of martial arts as much as possible and to provide mutual exchange of "secrets" of various schools and directions. Especially this approach proved out at competitions within the bounds of festivals.

Indeed, attraction of lots of various kinds of martial arts and obligatory "budo-show" became the visiting card of the International martial arts festivals «Sports Russia» (till 2002 – «Free Russia»). Tha fact that the choice was correct is confirmed with the figures. See it yourself:

• The First International Festival (1993)

  • Number of participants - about a thousand people.

  • Number of competitive kinds – six and all derivatives from karate.

  • Number of spectators – about 2,000 during three days of competitions.

• The Eleven Festival (2006)

  • Number of participants – 4926 participants from 19 countries.

  • Number of competitive kinds – 20.

  • Number of spectators – above 20,000 during three days of competitions, about 10,000 on the commencement ceremony.

The growth is obvious. Already in 2001 the commissioner of the festival grandmaster Harry Alekzander called it a comprehensive World championship on martial arts where almost every kind of it could be adequately presented. The festival began to exceed its own limits, and in 2006 its organizers made a decision about transformation of this sport holiday into the Martial Arts Olympic «East-West Open». Success of the Olympic Games – for example, in 2008 almost six and a half thousands of participants from thirty countries took part in the competitions – gave a stimulus to the following stage of development – International Martial Arts Confederation has been created and there are plans about carrying out the Olympic Games "West-east", "East-east" and "West-West".

(To be continued)