Pan American SAMBO Union Participates in ACODEPA Assembly

The Pan American SAMBO Union (UPASA) took part in the General Assembly of the Association of Pan American Sports Confederations (ACODEPA), held on May 22 in Mexico City, Mexico. The event, which serves as a platform for defining the technical and administrative strategies driving sports development across the region, brought together 32 continental sports confederations as delegates.

UPASA was represented at the Assembly by its President, Eliseo Romero, and Secretary General, Guillermo Sanchez. Throughout the event, the two officials held a series of meetings aimed at broadening networks and strengthening regional integration, successfully forging and consolidating strategic ties with sports leaders and officials from across the continent.

The Assembly – attended by 80% of Pan America's governing sports organizations – was opened by Rommel Pacheco, Director General of Mexico's National Commission for Physical Culture and Sport. Panam Sports Secretary General Jimena Saldaña also participated in the sessions, alongside other prominent figures from the international sports community and official delegates representing various American confederations.

The session, chaired by ACODEPA President Francisco Lee, featured progress reports from member organizations, with particular attention given to significant advances in resource mobilization through the development of various technical projects.

“The UPASA delegation played an active role in the agenda discussions, reinforcing SAMBO's standing within the ecosystem of officially recognized sports at the continental level. These dialogue forums allowed for an in-depth look at the current state and development of SAMBO across the region, fostering the exchange of best practices and strengthening cooperation within the Pan American sports community,” said UPASA President Eliseo Romero.

On the sidelines of the Assembly, UPASA leadership also held a separate bilateral working meeting with representatives of Mexican SAMBO.

“This technical meeting complemented the overall visit, giving us the opportunity to assess local development programs, grassroots outreach initiatives, and the host federation's competition calendar. We also aligned on areas of work focused on raising the quality of refereeing and the overall competitive level,” Romero noted.

He added that UPASA's participation in an event of this caliber advances the ongoing effort to integrate SAMBO into Pan America's multi-sport ecosystem – an effort that, in his view, drives the growth, promotion, and institutional support of the sport across all nations committed to continental sports development.