Russia is to hold a sambo winter training camp early this year ©Getty Images

More than 800 sambo and judo athletes from 40 regions in Russia and five allied national teams are to participate in a traditional winter training camp at the Sambo-70 Sports and Education Centre in Moscow.

The camp is due to coincide with the Start the Year with Sambo Festival, which has been organised by the Moscow Sambo Federation in cooperation with the Sambo-70 club.

Overseas athletes are to come from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Cameroon and Cyprus, according to the club.

"The gathering is held for the sixth time, it has no analogues and is one of the largest and most anticipated sporting events at the beginning of the year," said the Sambo-70 press service.

"In the coming 2023, the event is planned to be attended by more than 800 athletes from 40 regions of Russia, as well as representatives of national sambo teams from friendly countries - Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Cameroon and Cyprus. 

"More than 15 world champions and members of national teams will also be present at the camp."

Moscow is to hold the Start the Year with Sambo Festival for a sixth year ©Getty Images
Moscow is to hold the Start the Year with Sambo Festival for a sixth year ©Getty Images

The "Fighters for Good" initiative - which creates "Boxes of Kindness" for the paediatric ward at the Dmitry Rogachev Cancer Centre - is to continue again this year at the camp.

Russia and Belarus' athletes have been allowed to compete at International Sambo Federation (FIAS) events neutrally, after FIAS ruled athletes would be allowed to compete despite the International Olympic Committee recommendations related to the invasion of Ukraine.

In response the Ukrainian team decided to boycott competitions featuring the two nations' athletes.