Bulgaria Names Youth and Junior Squads for European and World Championships

From February 28 to March 1 Bulgaria hosted its national Youth and Junior SAMBO Championship at Arena Asarel in Panagyurishte. The tournament served as a key stage in the national calendar, identifying the strongest young SAMBO athletes who will represent the country at the major international competitions of the year.

The event featured two age categories: 16-18 and 18-20 – and brought together representatives from 26 sports clubs across Bulgaria, with total participation exceeding 300 athletes.

According to the national SAMBO federation, the level of competition was exceptionally high: in some weight categories, more than 30 athletes were contending for medals.

Such a dense field demanded not only technical excellence from the eventual champions, but also outstanding endurance, as the road to the final required winning a series of hard-fought bouts.

“This tournament showed the excellent work being done by Bulgarian clubs. We saw fierce competition and truly uncompromising SAMBO. The squads formed on the back of these results have real potential, and we are counting on strong performances from our athletes at both the European and world level,” the Bulgarian national team coaching staff said.