Jamaican SAMBO: training on the beach and NOC recognition

After a long break caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Jamaican sambists finally got the opportunity to train together. As a gym, they use the sea coast, where soft golden sand acts as a mat, and after classes you can plunge into the sea.

Practicing Sports SAMBO techniques in such conditions also makes it possible to feel more confident at Beach SAMBO competitions. And this is an additional advertisement for this martial art. People passing by pay attention to a sport atypical for local residents and show interest in it.

“We want to promote the development of SAMBO and attract as many people as possible to classes in Jamaica. This will allow in the future to form a large team to participate in international tournaments. We have already competed at the Pan American Championships, the World Championships and other major SAMBO tournaments. Our team is still participating in competitions with a small number of athletes, but we already have a certain number of medals in our treasury,” said Daniel Chacko-Wilmot, President of the Jamaica SAMBO and Combat SAMBO Federation (JSCSF).

Another important success of Jamaican SAMBO is the recognition that the federation received from the National Olympic Committee of the country.

“I believe that this is a very important step for the development of sports and the state's attention to the federation. After FIAS received recognition from the International Olympic Committee, the interest in SAMBO in Jamaica increased significantly,” Chacko-Wilmot said.

Today, the Jamaicans are actively training and preparing for the Pan American Championships, which is to be held in Costa Rica. In parallel, they are engaged in attracting young people to SAMBO.

“We decided to promote SAMBO as a sport that can be practiced in high school. I am sure that it will be interesting for young people and for sure someone will study in depth, and in the future they will be able to represent Jamaica at the international level,” said Daniel Chacko-Wilmot.