Bukod sa pagpapasigla ang lokal na turismo, nagsisilbing mahalagang tulak sa grassroots development programs ng bansa ang pagho-host ng mga internasyonal na kompetisyon tulad ng 11th Asia-Oceania Sambo Championships, ayon kay Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairperson Patrick Gregorio.
“We have at least 40 local athletes here. If we sent them all to Europe and South America for competitions abroad, the PSC won’t be able to justify it,” ani Gregorio sa press conference noong Byernes para kay Sophia Nicole Novino.
Si Novino ay nakasungkit ng pilak sa -47kg division matapos matalo kay Karakat Rakhybay ng Kazakhstan, 1-3, noong Huwebes sa Ninoy Aquino Stadium sa Malate, Maynila.
Si Rakhybay ay silver medalist sa dalawang world youth tournament — noong 2024 sa Larnaca, Cyprus at noong 2025 sa Bogor, Indonesia.
“This (result) justifies what we are trying to do. ‘Yung kalaban ni Sophia world-ranked pala,” ani Gregorio.
“These are eye-openers for us. This is the beauty of what we are trying to do. Sinsasala natin kaagad ang ating mga athletes by giving them the opportunities to go up against the world best as in sambo.”
“So we are thankful to the Pilipinas Sambo Federation and its president, Paolo Tancotian, for the hosting of the 11th Asia-Oceania Sambo Championships for exposing our young athletes to world-class level of play,” ani Gregorio.
Itinuro rin ni Gregorio, na siya ring namumuno sa National Sports Tourism Interagency Committee, na “if we see the potential and promise of a sport and its athletes, they are much easier to support like sambo.”
Sa kanyang panig, ibinahagi ni Novino, 17-anyos na varsity judoka at incoming Grade 12 student sa University of the East, na matapos niyang matikman ang unang tagumpay sa isang malaking internasyonal na sambo tournament, “gusto ko po mag-devote more time sa sport kasi sa opportunities na maaaring ibigay nito para sa akin.”
Nakakuha rin ng tig-isang bronze medal sa youth division sina Jennelyn Tuñacao (-72kg), Tess Polistico (-59kg) at Princess Boyore (-54kg).
Ibinunyag ni Tancontian na wala siyang natanggap kundi papuri mula sa mga opisyal ng International Sambo Federation at Sambo Union of Asia and Oceania, gayundin sa karamihan ng mga dayuhang delegasyon na lumahok, dahil sa mahusay na pamamalakad ng torneo.
“We have been made the example by the International Sambo Federation and Sambo Union of Asia and Oceania in how to run a competition properly. Bilib na bilib sila,” ani Tancontian.
“More than 15 foreign squads personally thanked and congratulated yours truly for the first-class treatment they had received from the moment they arrived at the airport, to the hotel and, of course, our excellent venue, the Ninoy Aquino Stadium,” dagdag nya.
“We are being talked about in the sambo world. All eyes are on the Philippines,” kwento ni Tancontian. “This is more than what I could dream for and the federation thanks the PSC for making it happen.”