Guillermo SANCHEZ: "I consider the Pan American Championships as a project for the development of SAMBO in Costa Rica"

The Pan American SAMBO Championships in 2022 will be held in Costa Rica. In an interview with the FIAS website, the President of the Sambo and Associated Sports Federation of Costa Rica, Guillermo Sanchez, assessed the Pan American Sambo Championships in Colombia-2021, spoke about the plans of the National Federation of Costa Rica for the next year and shared his opinion on how full recognition of the International Olympic Committee will affect the development of SAMBO.

How do you assess the results of the Costa Rican national team in Pan American Championships 2021?

– I assess the performance of our national team as very successful: we managed to achieve even better results than expected. In fact, this proves that the time spent on preparation was not wasted.

What is the secret to the success of the Costa Rican national team?

– In fact, there is no secret other than hard training. The national team includes representatives of four schools, each of which has its own coaches who have shown good work. Next year the Pan American Championships will be held in Costa Rica and we want to improve the results.

That is, the pandemic has not prevented you from fully exercising?

– Interfered, but we found a way out. At the time the restrictions were introduced, we sent to athletes special tasks that they had to perform at home. If you look closely at the fights, you will see that our athletes are in good physical shape. About a month before this tournament, we were able to obtain a special permission from the Ministry of Sports to train in full contact, so within 30 days we were fully preparing for the continental championship.

Last year, the Pan American Championships were canceled due to the pandemic. This year it was held under certain restrictions. How do you assess the organization of the tournament in Villavicencio?

– I think that in general the tournament was a success, although there were some overlaps, for example, with transport. This is the point that organizers need to pay attention to in the future. Generally speaking, the tournament went well, the organizing committee did a great job.

How developed is SAMBO in Costa Rica at the moment?

– Let's be honest, in fact, SAMBO in Costa Rica began to develop six years ago. Then, together with the Secretary General of the Costa Rican SAMBO Federation, we began this work and today there are 22 clubs in our country, in which about 500 people train and work. We were able to achieve this result from scratch. In addition, we managed to get the recognition of the National Olympic Committee. I think that today we can say that they know SAMBO in Costa Rica.

I would also like to note that we pay a lot of attention to working with youth, this is one of our priority tasks. Already today we are preparing a replacement for the older generation, we are doing everything so that the development of SAMBO in our country does not stop.

Will gaining permanent recognition from the International Olympic Committee somehow affect the development of SAMBO in Costa Rica?

– Of course it will. Three years ago we received the recognition of the NOC and now we already have strong support. So, this year we received the NOC budget for the first time, our athletes have high-quality branded equipment, they have the opportunity to use medical services during the training process, including training in the gyms of the Olympic center.

If we talk about additional advantages, I can assume that the amount of assistance, including financial, will increase, our federation will become a full member with the right to vote at the NOC Congress. In addition, full recognition will undoubtedly facilitate the inclusion of SAMBO in a number of multisport competitions such as the Central American Games, the Central American and Caribbean Games, and the Pan American Games.

Next year Costa Rica will host the Pan American SAMBO Championships. What do you expect from this tournament? How do you see it? How, in your opinion, will this affect the development of SAMBO in your country?

– These competitions are very important for me. I see them not just as another tournament, but as a project for the development of SAMBO in our country. We have been preparing for this championship for about a year now, we have a clear program and action plan, there are people responsible for organizing and holding this tournament, their functionality has been defined.

An equally important task for us is to involve people from the outside in the preparation of these competitions, that is, those who are not superficially familiar with this sport. We deliberately chose a well-known resort as a venue for the Championship, where a lot of tourists come, cruise liners arrive. We hope that the opportunity to watch the Pan American Championships with their own eyes will be an additional motivation for them to stay at the resort and extend their vacation.

As for the sports component, we, of course, count on the first place of the Costa Rica national team in the overall team competition.