Asia and Oceania Open Beach SAMBO Championships held in Sri Lanka

The first ever Open Asia and Oceania Beach SAMBO Championships were held in Sri Lanka. The competitions, which took place from December 18 to 20, were held on Port City Beach in Colombo. Medals were awarded in individual and team events.

“The championship was a landmark event for both the SAMBO Union of Asia and Oceania (SUAO) and the host country, the Sambo Federation Sri Lanka. This was the first Beach SAMBO event in the history of Sri Lanka and the first open SAMBO event held by SUAO on the Asian continent,” said SUAO Director General Suresh Gopi.

A referee seminar on the specifics of Beach SAMBO rules was held on the eve of the tournament. Refereeing at the championship was provided by FIAS international referees under the leadership of chief referee Islom Adylov.

Sambists representing teams from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, Philippines, FIAS 1 and Sri Lanka took part in the competition. The first day of the championship was dedicated to individual competitions, while on the second day medals were awarded in the team competition.

"The debut Asia and Oceania Beach SAMBO Championships were held in the format of an open tournament. Together with the organizing committee, we decided to provide an opportunity for as many athletes as possible to take part in these competitions. This approach has paid off - we saw many exciting matches with the participation of representatives from various countries and continents," added Suresh Gopi.

He also noted the professionalism of the Sambo Federation Sri Lanka in organizing the championship. The entire staff of the federation, led by Chairman Kithsiri De Zoysa, President Dharmasiri and Secretary General Damayanthi, showed themselves to be a close-knit team in holding the tournament.