Spectacle at Maxime-Matsima Gym
Songs, drums and the unmistakable scent of resin filled the Maxime-Matsima gym in Brazzaville on 28 September as more than seventy gymnasts twirled in the second Alina Kabaeva Recognition Tournament, a showcase born from fast-growing Russo-Congolese sports ties.
The tournament, staged by the Congolese Gymnastics Federation, Africa Centrum Foundation and the Grace Celeste Foundation of Alina Kabaeva, followed a pilot edition in 2022 and now aims to become a fixture on the continental calendar, federation officials confirm.
Young Congolese stars take centre stage
Local prodigy Emilia Ntsiete edged teammate Celeste Malanda Mayinga for senior gold, 27.70 points against 27.50, prompting chants of “Makasi” from classmates. In the development category ten-year-old Davina Nkenko Sita scored 18.75, a personal best that her coach compared to “landing a triple on home soil”.
Behind every score lies countless dawn sessions. “We train before school and late after homework,” Ntsiete smiled, sweat still glistening. “Seeing my flag next to Russia’s on the backdrop makes the fatigue disappear.” Her quote instantly trended on local TikTok pages.
According to Fécogym technical director Alain Boungou, national membership in rhythmic, artistic and aerobic branches has doubled in three years, an uptick he attributes to social-media clips from last year’s Kabaeva meet and free introductory classes offered in suburban clubs.
A partnership rooted in training camps
The backbone of this boom is a steady flow of training camps in Moscow, Kazan and especially Sochi, where Congolese teams have joined the International Children’s Rhythmic Gymnastics Festival for three consecutive summers.
“Russian coaches insist on detail, from finger position to breathing pattern,” Boungou explained. “When our girls return, they share drills with classmates, so the benefit multiplies.” He estimates that a single month in Sochi raises an athlete’s routine value by two full points.
Fécogym president Claudin Noël Miakassissa Nzaba therefore calls the partnership “our most strategic asset”. He revealed that draft papers for a multi-year cooperation accord, including scholarships for judges and physiotherapists, were submitted this week for legal review.
Kabaeva Foundation’s global vision
Alina Kabaeva, five-time European champion and six-time Olympic gold medallist, created the Grace Celeste Foundation to “link nations through aesthetics and discipline”. Her staff say Congo’s youthful demographics match the foundation’s aim of broadening rhythmic gymnastics beyond its traditional Eurasian bases.
Kabaeva sent a recorded message played on the arena’s giant screen, congratulating participants in French and Lingala. “Sport builds harmony quicker than politics,” she said, drawing warm applause from athletes and dignitaries alike.
Diplomatic boost from St Petersburg to Brazzaville
Diplomatic synergy underpinned the event. Congo’s consul in Saint-Petersburg, Jocelyn Patrick Mandzela, personally escorted the Russian delegation and financed extra mats to meet international safety norms, organisers disclosed.
Russian ambassador Ilias Iskandarov, addressing the crowd in confident French, said the tournament “gives youthful meaning to our bilateral roadmap”, an expression later echoed in a brief statement from the Ministry of Sports, confirming official endorsement.
Parents like Aimée Malonga see tangible gains. “My daughter now dreams in Russian,” she joked, adding that airline discounts negotiated by the embassy made it possible for families to accompany competitors to Sochi earlier this year.
Looking ahead to a bigger 2026 edition
Fécogym plans to rotate the next edition through Pointe-Noire in 2026, allowing coastal athletes to avoid the long train ride to Brazzaville and opening sponsorship opportunities with port-linked companies, according to the draft bid document seen by our newsroom.
Organisers intend to double participation to 150 gymnasts, introduce a men’s artistic segment and stream every routine on mobile-friendly platforms after tests showed 82 % of viewers followed the event on smartphones.
For fourteen-year-old Azaria Diazinga, who placed second with 15 points this year, that horizon feels close. “Three years is just enough to perfect my ball routine,” she beamed, posing for selfies with classmates already plotting road trips to Pointe-Noire.
Sponsors smell potential too. A senior executive at a telecom provider, requesting anonymity because talks are ongoing, confirmed preliminary discussions for a naming deal, emphasizing the tournament’s “family, female and digital” appeal.
If the promised partnership agreement lands, gymnasts across the republic could soon aspire to follow Ntsiete’s path and wave Congolese colors on world carpets, proving that a seed planted in an ordinary Brazzaville gym can bloom into continental pride.
