National SAMBO Championship of Bolivia Held at 4,000 Metres Above Sea Level

On April 24-25, Bolivia hosted the National SAMBO Championship La Paz 2026, which also served as a qualifying tournament for the Pan-American SAMBO Championships to be held in Costa Rica.

The competition took place in El Alto, a city in the La Paz Department situated at an altitude of approximately 4,000 metres above sea level – one of the highest urban centres in the world. The extreme elevation added an extraordinary physical dimension to the already demanding nature of competitive SAMBO, testing not only the athletes' technique and strength, but also their endurance and adaptation to thin-air conditions.

Athletes from across Bolivia gathered on the mat to compete for a place in the national team that will represent the country at the Pan American SAMBO Championships. For many, the road to El Alto was itself a challenge – combining the demands of training with the realities of work and study.

The organising committee captured the spirit of the event in a statement:

“Today we are not simply on the mat – we are in a place where dreams are born. Dreams of earning a spot on the national team, of representing Bolivia, of travelling to Costa Rica. Every one of these athletes overcame the cold, the difficult journey, the weight of training, and the fatigue of work and study. They came here because they chose to fight, even when giving up would have been far easier. That alone makes them champions.”

The top-performing athletes will go on to represent Bolivia at the Pan American SAMBO Championships in Costa Rica.