The Vladimir Putin Sambo Tournament kicked off in Burkina Faso.
The Burkinabe Sambo Association plans to offer internships for Burkinabe sambo wrestlers in Russia, where athletes will be able to better understand and master this Olympic discipline.
"They say that sambo is power, sambo is leadership. Vladimir Putin is an example of the power of leadership," the secretary general of the Burkina Faso Sambo Association, Amidou Guindo, told Sputnik Africa.
The Russian President has been a champion in this discipline, he has a great interest in martial arts and he is a "fervent amateur" of sport in general, Guindo recalled.
"His name must be a part of the event," he added.
About fifty athletes from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Russia will compete for medals in several categories.