The Bolivian Sambo Federation staged its National Championships in Sucre ©FIAS

More than 100 athletes attended the National Sambo Championships of Bolivia in a sign of the growing development of the sport in the South American nation.

The Bolivian Sambo Federation was accepted as a candidate member at the International Sambo Federation (FIAS) Congress in November last year, and staged the inaugural Pan American Cadets, Youth and Junior Sambo Championships in Cochabamba in May.

The National Championships featured competition in the sport, combat and beach sambo disciplines, and were held in the city of Sucre.

National Federation President Cesar Castro said the governing body had achieved its goals through the staging of competition, and hopes it will benefit Bolivian athletes at major upcoming international events.

The Bolivian Sambo Championships featured competition in the sport, combat and beach disciplines ©FIAS
The Bolivian Sambo Championships featured competition in the sport, combat and beach disciplines ©FIAS

"At the Championships, we had two main tasks: to arrange a 'review of the forces' of our athletes and to form a national team to participate in the upcoming international tournaments in the Dominican Republic," he commented.

"We aim to be as widely represented as possible both at the Pan American Championships and at the World Beach Sambo Championships, which will be held in September."

Sambo is not on the programme for the Pan American Games in Chile's capital Santiago later this year, although FIAS gained full International Olympic Committee recognition in 2021.