World Cadets, Youth & Juniors SAMBO Championships 2026 to Be Held in Thessaloniki

The World Cadets, Youth & Juniors SAMBO Championships will take place on October 2-4 in Thessaloniki, Greece, at PAOK Sports Arena.

Representatives of national federations will compete in Sport SAMBO in the following age groups: Cadets (14-16 years old), boys and girls; Youth (16-18), male and female; and Juniors (18-20), male and female. Male Juniors will also compete for medals in Combat SAMBO. In total, 55 sets of medals will be awarded.

Weight categories:

Cadets (girls): 41, 44, 47, 50, 54, 59, 65, 72, +72 kg

Cadets (boys): 46, 49, 53, 58, 64, 71, 79, 88, +88 kg

Youth (women): 47, 50, 54, 59, 65, 72, 80, +80 kg

Youth (men): 53, 58, 64, 71, 79, 88, 98, +98 kg

Juniors (women): 50, 54, 59, 65, 72, 80, +80 kg

Juniors (men): 58, 64, 71, 79, 88, 98, +98 kg

Juniors (men, Combat SAMBO): 58, 64, 71, 79, 88, 98, +98 kg

Athletes from more than 40 countries are expected to compete in Thessaloniki, including: Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Philippines, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, USA, Uzbekistan and Venezuela.

“Greece is the birthplace of the Olympic Games and the spirit of fair competition. It is symbolic that the World Cadets, Youth & Juniors SAMBO Championships are being held here, in Thessaloniki. This is not just a tournament, it is a dialogue of cultures through sport. And the best ambassadors of this dialogue are the young SAMBO athletes who will step onto the mat at PAOK Sports Arena. I wish them to show not only strength and technique, but also respect for their opponents, the will to win and love for SAMBO,” said Vasily Shestakov, President of the International SAMBO Federation (FIAS).

The tournament will be streamed live on the video portal www.sambo.live.