Ecuador's National SAMBO Selection Cycle Concludes in Guayaquil

The third and final stage of Ecuador's national SAMBO selection cycle has wrapped up in Guayaquil, bringing together more than 80 athletes from across the country.

The tournament was held at the José Decimavilla Arena – the same venue that hosted the Pan American SAMBO Championships in 2025 and a familiar stage for Ecuador's SAMBO community.

On the eve of the competition, Francisco Ortiz, President of the Ecuador SAMBO Clubs Association, held a press conference for local media. Journalists were among the first to receive branded merchandise produced especially for the tournament.

The Guayaquil event brought the curtain down on a three-stage selection series that kicked off back in February. The opening tournament, held in Salinas on February 14th, drew athletes from seven provinces as well as representatives of the armed forces and law enforcement – marking the first time national Beach SAMBO competitions had taken place outside Guayaquil. The second stage followed on April 11th in Azogues, where athletes from the provinces of Azuay, Cañar, and Pichincha competed in Sport SAMBO and Combat SAMBO at the Eduardo Rivas Ayora Coliseum.

All three tournaments were part of the federation's broader strategy to grow SAMBO in new regions of the country. The cumulative results of the selection cycle will determine the composition of Ecuador's national team for this year's international competitions.

“Our goal is to develop SAMBO as a well-organised and continuously growing sport. That is exactly why maintaining the consistency of our work matters so much,” said Francisco Ortiz.

With the selection cycle complete, the national team now moves into the next phase of preparation. The federation plans to hold a training camp to ensure athletes arrive in peak competitive shape for the Pan American SAMBO Championships in Costa Rica.