Nigeria To Debut In 2024 World Sambo Championships

Nigeria will send representatives to the 2024 World Sambo Championships, set to take place in Astana, Kazakhstan, from November 6 to 10, for the first time in the history of the competition.

This follows Nigeria’s impressive performance at the recent African Beach Sambo Championships held in Morocco, where the team showcased their talent and determination.

The Nigerian delegation will be led by Samuel Oladele Kekere, a remarkable blind sambist who stands out as an inspiring figure in the sport.

He will be joined by his fellow athletes from Nigeria, including the reigning African women’s champion, Charity Jatau, as well as James Chegwam and Alani Balogun.

These athletes represent Team Nigeria under the leadership and guidance of Lagos State coach, Gbenga Montana, who has been instrumental in their training and preparation for this monumental championship.

In this championship, which will be hosted in the prestigious Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov Martial Arts Palace, athletes from an impressive 79 countries will converge to compete.

This event not only highlights the world of sport but also embraces inclusivity, as Kekere will be participating in the blind sambo category, marking a significant milestone for African athletes with disabilities.

The championship will feature various competition formats including men’s and women’s sport sambo, combat sambo, and, for the first time, men’s SVI-1 blind sambo, which is specifically designed for totally blind athletes. A total of 31 medals will be up for grabs.

Roman Novikov, the Chairman of the FIAS Commission for Athletes with Disabilities, has confirmed Kekere’s eligibility for the competition, noting, “Your athlete meets the criteria of the international classification rules for blind sambo in class SVI-1.”

Note that this championship serves as the final qualifying event for the prestigious World Games 2025, which will be hosted in Chengdu, China, adding another layer of significance to Nigeria’s participation.