Togo, Russia ink sport education cooperation agreement

Russia will help spur sports in Togo under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the field of sport education, inked this week.

LidiBessi Kama, Togo’s Sports Minister and her Russian counterpart Oleg Matytsin inked the deal in Lome, Togo on April 25.

The agreement will promote and intensify the exchange of programs, expertise and information of common interest between public sports organizations, higher sports institutions, associations, federations and other sports institutions recognized by both states.

The programs encompass the fields of elite sports, mass sports, sports science, sports technology and infrastructure, anti-doping, and sports management.

“It is a real opportunity that will offer undeniable advantages to the different actors of the sport movement in terms of capacity building, training and internships so that together we can meet the major challenges,” the Togolese Minister told media.

Matytsin on the other hand revealed that Russia through the agreement will train coaches and sports teams.

“We are ready to resume this practice for other sports, for example handball, and we are happy to welcome Togolese athletes during the events organized in Russia,” the Russian official added.

“Since the times of the USSR, Russia has assisted Togo in training coaching staff and football teams, we are ready to resume this practice in other sports, for example, handball,” said Matytsin.

Russia, according to Matytsin, has awarded this year 86 scholarships to West African countries.

The Russian official also stressed that Moscow is open to mutually beneficial cooperation with partner countries to develop new sports event formats.

Matytsin also visited Benin and Senegal where he penned similar agreements as Russia builds international coalition to skirt its isolation by western countries over its intervention in Ukraine.