Ecuador Held National SAMBO Tournament in Salinas for the First Time

On February 14, while the rest of the world was exchanging flowers and chocolates, the Ecuadorian city of Salinas had something entirely different in store: 183 athletes took to the SAMBO mats and beach arena for the 2026 National Interclub SAMBO Championship.

The head of the Ecuadorian SAMBO Francisco Ortiz made no secret of the thinking behind the date: “I know it's Valentine's Day, but it's a great excuse to invite your girlfriend to watch the bouts.”

The Sport SAMBO and Combat SAMBO bouts were held at the Polideportivo Benjamín Carrión, with each athlete competing in one of the two main disciplines before having the option to also enter the Beach SAMBO competition.

The decision to host the championship in Salinas reflects broader push to grow the sport beyond Guayaquil, which has long been the country's primary venue for major SAMBO events.

The tournament made history on two counts: it was the first national Beach SAMBO competition held outside of Guayaquil, and the first to take place on an open public beach. The timing, coinciding with the start of the Carnival holiday, drew an additional audience of tourists and visitors to the event.

Competitors traveled from the provinces of Guayas, Pichincha, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Orellana, Santa Elena, and Azuay, with the Ecuadorian Air Force, Army, and National Police also represented on the start list. Organizers credit the strong turnout in part to the strategic scheduling during a national holiday period.

“We have held such a large-scale tournament for the first time. I believe this is the result of the work we have put in over the last two years. Last year, the Pan American Championship took place in Ecuador – in Guayaquil – and brought together more than 300 athletes from 25 countries," said Ortiz.

The National Interclub Championship is the first of three tournaments that will make up Ecuador's 2026 national selection circuit. The results across all three events will determine the composition of the Ecuadorian national team for the 2026 Pan American SAMBO Championship in Costa Rica.