Sydney Sy: “My Personal Mission Is Still Not Accomplished – I Want to Become World Champion”

The 2026 Asia and Oceania SAMBO Championships, held June 25-28 in Manila, marked a special occasion for Filipino sambist Sydney Sy. At this tournament, she took on two roles at once – competing athlete and one of the event organizers. Within the country's sporting community, she has firmly earned the title of a symbol of Filipino SAMBO.

“Organizing the competition while preparing to compete on the mat at the same time is no easy task. But I love what I do, and I'm proud of what we managed to achieve through all the preparation and planning,” Sydney admitted. Although she didn't come away with gold this time, having silver medal, she considers the championship a success for herself: “We managed to pull off this major competition, and that makes me very happy.”

In the Philippines, Sydney is known as the Queen of Asian SAMBO, a nod to her achievements as a continental champion and world championships medalist. Speaking about her informal role as an inspiration for young Filipino sambists, she said it's a genuine privilege for her.

“I'm proud that I was able to represent the Philippines on the Asian-Oceanian stage. If my example inspires even one child, that already means a lot to me. When kids see Filipino athletes winning at major events, more and more of our boys and girls want to try SAMBO for themselves,” she shared.

Sydney took particular pride in the performance of the Filipino women in Combat SAMBO, who claimed three gold medals and helped secure the national team's second-place finish overall in this discipline. As Sydney explained, one of the gold medalists, Aumaegel Princess Cortez, previously competed in Sport SAMBO before successfully making the switch to Combat SAMBO, winning her first gold medal at a tournament of this level. Another champion, Jomary Torres, has been with the national team for five or six years now, and this victory was also her first. Meanwhile, Aislinn Agnes Yap, already an Asia and Oceania champion in Combat SAMBO, claimed continental gold once again – this time on home soil.

“I saw how hard the girls trained and how badly they wanted to win in front of the home crowd,” Sydney said.

The athlete also spoke about her relationships with rivals on the mat – in particular, with Kazakhstani sambist Arailim Abenova, with whom she shares a friendly bond. 

“Before and after our matches, we talk, joke around, and laugh together. On the mat we're rivals – serious rivals, even – but off it, we have a very warm, close relationship,” she explained, adding that these kinds of connections between athletes on opposite sides of the mat help bring the sporting community closer together.

As Chair of the FIAS Athletes Commission, Sydney also spoke about her plans in this role. On the day of the interview, an informal gathering – a gala dinner for athletes – was planned, giving competitors a chance to socialize, dance, sing, and simply unwind after the pressure of competition. According to Sydney, this kind of athlete-focused event, rather than one geared toward VIPs and officials, hadn't existed before – at least not since 2018, when she herself began competing in Asia and Oceania tournaments. "I want athletes to have something to look forward to after competing – a place where they can relax and connect with one another," she noted.

Many participants and guests praised the high level of organization at the Manila tournament. According to Sydney, much of the credit goes to Filipino hospitality, along with support from the Philippine Sports Commission, FIAS, the SAMBO Union of Asia & Oceania, and, of course, the Pilipinas Sambo Federation (PSFI).

“The way our venue ended up looking is exactly how I pictured it back during the planning stage. I'm so proud and happy to see that everything turned out just the way we envisioned it,” she said.

According to Sydney, the organizers don't intend to stop here. Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Patrick Gregorio highlighted the strong results of Filipino sambists on home soil, as well as the positive feedback from participants. In his welcoming remarks, he affirmed the country's readiness to host more major SAMBO competitions in the future.

As for her personal plans, Sydney Sy's main goal remains unchanged. “My personal mission is still not accomplished – I want to become world champion. I'm still on that path, and I'll get there. I'll keep working hard to become the first Filipino world champion in SAMBO,” she concluded.