Togo and Russia boost sambo with new partnership
The sport, originating in the USSR, is gaining a foothold in West Africa through a sports cooperation agreement.
Sambo, a Soviet-era martial art meaning "unarmed self-defense," is gaining traction on Lomé Beach in Togo thanks to a new partnership with Russia. Athlete Anthony Yao Sodjinê, who transitioned from judo, is training for matches in this discipline, which has organized demonstrations in Lomé since June 2024.
The initiative could enable Togolese athletes, coaches, and practitioners to receive scholarships to travel to Russia for training programs, according to Sodjinê. The Africa Initiative Cup is currently in its first edition, building on a memorandum of cooperation signed in April 2023 between the Togolese and Russian sports ministers.
The April 2023 agreement covers school and mass sports, infrastructure development, and training programs. The Togolese Sambo Federation has been actively promoting the sport through demonstrations in the capital.
Why it mattersTogolese athletes, coaches, and practitioners could receive scholarships to train in Russia.