Speaking in an exclusive interview with News.ru, Shestakov claimed the sports world is being swept by the "sambo pandemic".

The FIAS was granted provisional recognition by the IOC Executive Board at a meeting in Tokyo last November.

It was later elected as a member of the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations at SportAccord Summit in Gold Coast in May.

"After receiving the provisional recognition by the IOC, the Olympic Committees of a number of countries almost immediately recognised the national sambo federations," Shestakov said.

"And recognition at the national level means Governmental support, including the financing."

Being granted provisional recognition by the IOC was the culmination of a determined campaign by FIAS.

"Probably one of the chief issues that we encountered in promoting our sport and in communicating with sports officials was the need to explain that sambo had long been a global sport, and not only a Russian one," Shestakov said.

"And that it has nothing to do with samba dance style.

"Granted, sambo was introduced in the USSR in 1938, but today it is an international sport.

"For instance, athletes from 90 countries attended the World Sambo Championships in Sochi in 2017.

"It was broadcast by television companies of 17 countries and 27 countries medalled, including South Korea, Cuba and Cameroon.

"This is the best evidence of the sambo popularity and mastery in it being leveraged across the world."

The FIAS can receive funding from the IOC and is able to apply for grants to help fund its development programmes. 

This boosts the sport's hopes of becoming a full Olympic sport in future.

"Prospects are always out there, without them our work would've made no sense at all," Shestakov said.

"Thus, the IOC granted FIAS provisional recognition for three years.

"In a couple of years, we would like to receive a permanent one and then to compete for inclusion in the programme of the Olympic Games.

"Under favorable conditions, sambo may become part of the Olympics in the coming years. 

"And today we are doing all that is possible for this to happen."

The interview comes just prior to the start of the 2019 World Sambo Championships, which are due to take place in South Korean city Cheongju from November 8 to 10.

"For my part, I'd add that we certainly strive to expand the geographical scale of the Championships, to carry them out on different continents so that the expansion of sambo goes as evenly as possible," Shestakov said.

"I can say that in the not too distant future we will hold the World Sambo Championships in Latin America."