Sy defeated Spain's Evadne Huecas to secure bronze in the women's over-80-kilogram division, giving the Philippines a first medal of the World Championships.

She also took part in the Junior World Sambo Championships, but did not win a medal.

In 2018, Sy won a bronze medal is the same over-80kg class at the World Sambo Championships in Romanian capital Bucharest.

However, the 20-year-old's permission to be in Novi Sad for the competition was brought into question after it was claimed that she had come to Novi Sad for the competition without a travel order from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).

National athletes in the Philippines require a travel order from the PSC to compete or train abroad.

According to PSC executive director Guillermo Iroy, the PSC asked Sy for health clearances and a letter of approval from the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (ITAF), but reportedly did not receive the requested documents.

"We did not issue a travel order," Iroy said to Filipino publication BusinessMirror.

"They [Philippine Sambo Federation] asked for a travel order from the PSC, but we required them to submit health clearances because the IATF has yet to allow competitions in amateur sports."

Sy is also an elected member of the FIAS Athletes Committee.

"Privately, she flew because she is a member of the sport's athletes commission and will also participate in a tournament," Iroy continued.

However, Sy has responded by insisting that she met all the requirements needed to travel, including taking COVID-19 tests.

"I secured all the needed requirements including the PCR [Polymerase chain reaction test] results and other documents - and non-essential travels are already approved in the Philippines," Sy said.

It is now expected that the PSC will ask the Philippine Sambo Federation to submit a report determining whether or not it secured IATF clearance.