Shestakov was speaking at FIAS’s annual Congress here in Morocco’s largest city ahead of the World Championships, due to begin today at the 7,000-seat Complexe Sportif Mohamed V de Casablanca.

The 39th edition of sambo’s flagship event is the first to be held in Africa, which Shestakov says "presents a certain challenge and new opportunities".

Giving his view on the matter in the pre-event press conference, Dalil Skalli, FIAS vice-president and President of the African Sambo Confederation and the Moroccan Sambo Federation, added: "This Championship is a real challenge for us, and we've been preparing for it for two years.

"Everything was ready six months ago to receive the guests of honour and the athletes.

"The Ministry of Sports, the Governor of Casablanca, the [Moroccan] Olympic Committee and the Local Government supported us during preparations for the tournament.

"The Russian Sambo Federation also provided a lot of support in training the Moroccan team.

"This included assistance from coaches, an exchange of experience among athletes and a lot of joint training camps.

"Sambo is actively developing in our country, and we have medallists in major international competitions.

"Our dream is to win medals in a World Championship, for which our athletes still lack the technical and tactical training.

"But we're working on it, and I think our dream of World Championship medals will soon come true."

Shestakov saved particular thanks for the event’s official sponsor, OJSC Togliattyazot, one of the Russia’s largest chemical fertiliser producers.  

"Given the financial crisis that currently exists to some extent everywhere in the world, it would have been difficult to make this start without sponsorship," he said of the event, where 82 countries are represented, including newcomers Barbados, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Cuba, Congo, Vietnam and Peru.

Yulia Petrenko, deputy chief executive of OJSC Togliattyazot, noted that the company invests heavily in sports and cultural projects, as well as charitable initiatives.

"We often support sports activities, because one of the principles of our company is to promote a healthy lifestyle and sports are the best way to do this," she said.

"As a sport that originated in Russia, sambo awakens people's patriotism, and we're pleased to contribute to promoting this national sport worldwide.

"Many people in our country have first-hand knowledge of sambo.

"Today we're proud to see so many countries taking part in the World Championships, and are pleased to be part of the international sambo movement.

"It's well known that sambo is striving to become an Olympic sport, and our company, in turn, wants to support it in this endeavour."

Earlier this year, FIAS’s Executive Committee adopted new rules aimed at making sambo more dynamic and entertaining, following their approval in 2014.

This year’s World Championships are the first to be held under the amended rules.

Reflecting on the achievements of FIAS over the past year, Shestakov spoke of the world governing body’s "close and productive" cooperation with National Federations (NFs) and "effective" cooperation with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the Association For International Sport for All (TAFISA).

He also highlighted the success of social projects and relations between FIAS and the International Olympic Committee.

Thereafter, FIAS vice-president Sergey Eliseev reported on the calendar for 2016 to 2018, which was approved by a vote of Congress delegates.

To date, two countries have entered bids to host the 2016 World Sambo Championships with Bulgaria and the United States in the running.

A decision on which country will win the rights is due to be made by December 5.

The 2017 and 2018 World Sambo Championships will be held in Sochi and Milan respectively, while Seoul has made a bid to stage the 2019 edition.

Eliseev also proposed starting International Sambo Day next year, which would be celebrated around the world on November 16 through children's competitions and festivals, and would be included in the schedules of all NFs.

Congress delegates voted in favour of new FIAS members Macedonia, Vietnam, Taiwan and Peru, while in closing proceedings, Shestakov awarded Skalli a FIAS gold badge for his contribution to promoting sambo in Africa and around the world.

Television companies from 10 different countries will be broadcasting this year’s World Championships live, marking a significant increase on the three that did so at last year’s edition in Narita, Japan.



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