For most of the competitors, it was the first time they had practiced sambo.

"At the end of last year, our federation held the first ever national sambo championship, which was highly appreciated by the country's NOC," said President and founder of the Haitian Sambo Federation, Roberson Croimain.

"We decided to expand the number of events and organised the Haitian Schools Sambo Championship.

"Representatives of 22 schools of the country responded positively to our proposal to take part in the competition, which allowed us to provide a wide geography of participants in the tournament."

Croimain also reported that before the start of the event the federation held a referee seminar where umpires received theoretical training and gained practical skills for working at competitions.

This allowed them to officiate the schools tournament to the highest standard.

The winners of the competition were awarded with medals and certificates and Croimain hopes they received a "boost of motivation for daily training and further participation in national sambo tournaments, as well as a possible performance at the international level."