[1/5] Shogo Uozumi, also known as Songo Tine, 29 years old, wrestles with Baye Ibra at the Samba Dia stable in the Diakhao neighbourhood, in Thies, Senegal, May 26, 2023. REUTERS/Ngouda DioneTHIES, Senegal, June 14 (Reuters) - In a dusty alleyway in the Senegalese city of Thies, Japanese wrestler Shogo Uozumi lay face-down in the sand after being tossed in the air by an oversized opponent. Uozumi then rose to his feet, dusted himself off and rejoined the surrounding group of wrestlers wearing loincloths. Anchored in ancestral war rituals, Laamb has evolved from a post-harvest pastime into Senegal's national sport. Since relocating to Senegal full-time in 2022, Uozumi has lived with a community of wrestlers in Thies, Senegal's third largest city.

---

Persons: Songo Tine, Baye Ibra, Shogo Uozumi, Uozumi, Laamb, Cheikh Badiane, Louis, Badiane, Cooper Inveen, Ed Osmond Organizations: Samba Dia, REUTERS, Thies, Thomson Locations: Diakhao, Thies, Senegal, THIES, Senegalese, Tokyo, Omotenashi, Japan, Saint