Seychellois qualify for international sambo competition |01 July 2013

Labrosse (68kg) and Jeanne (74kg) won a bronze medal each after their first involvement in the African Sambo championship in Morocco.

They were accompanied by Seychelles Judo Federation chairperson Monique Athanase who in an interview published on the official website of the International Sambo Federation, gave details of how Seychelles got involved with sambo.

“I’m friend with Estony Hattingh, the president of the Botswana Judo Federation and a member of the African Judo Union executive committee. Among heads of the African judo, we are just two women.
We talk a lot, exchange opinions and ideas. One day she told me about Sambo which she described as a very interesting and attractive sport. I was interested in it. And we have already started getting good results,” said Athanase.

She added that Seychelles will soon have its Sambo federation which will join the ranks of Sambo Association of the British Commonwealth and early in 2014 the country hopes to take part in the first Commonwealth Sambo Games.

Ms Athanase noted that Sambo is different to judo in the freedom it gives the athletes. There are very strict in judo, while sambo gives everyone an opportunity to open up, that’s great,” she said, adding that “sambo has a great future in the Seychelles”.