Skalli: "We worked hard to get SAMBO on the African Games programme". FIAS

For the first time, the African Games programme has included SAMBO competitions, alongside 29 other sports. The historic debut took place on 19th March at the GCB Legon Hall in Ghana's capital, Accra.

According to the Organising Committee of the 13th African Games, some 5,000 athletes and coaches from 54 countries across the continent are taking part in the multi-sport competitions. 

Sambists are competing for medals in three disciplines: Men's Sport SAMBO, Women's Sport SAMBO and Men's Combat SAMBO. A total of six sets of medals are up for grabs - 2 in each discipline:

-Sport SAMBO (men): 58 kg and 79 kg.

-Sport SAMBO (women): 59 kg and 65 kg.

-Combat SAMBO (men): 64 kg and 79 kg.

Athletes from 11 African countries are taking part in the SAMBO tournament: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria and Togo.

"We have been working towards this for a very long time and have worked hard to get SAMBO on the programme of the African Games. This is a huge breakthrough for SAMBO, because for the first time in history, African sambists will take part in the biggest multi-sport competitions on the continent," said Dalil Skalli, president of the African Sambo Confederation.