Muling makakakuha ng malaking bwelo ang lokal na sports tourism sa pagdaraos ng 11th Asia-Oceania Sambo Championships na sisimulan Hunyo 23 sa Ninoy Aquino Stadium sa Maynila.
Ang torneo ay inorganisa ng Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) at National Sports Tourism Inter-Agency Committee (NST-IAC).
“We had expected only about 500 athletes but those numbers are swelling since we presently have about 400 of them already. We could end up with over 600 grapplers from 31 countries,” ayon kay Pilipinas Sambo Federation Inc. president Paolo Tancontian.
Ang karatig-bansang Cambodia ay magpapadala ng 42-miyembrong koponan na magsisikap na ipakita ang kanilang impluwensiya sa limang araw na torneo na may basbas ng International Sambo Federation.
“These numbers may seem small for team sports, but for sambo that is a lot of entries,” ani Tancontian.
Maging ang malalayong bansang Asyano tulad ng Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan at Kazakhstan, Iran at Syria, pati na rin ang mga nasa Oceania region na Australia at New Zealand, ay interesadong lumahok sa torneo.
Idinagdag ni Tancontian na kung hindi lamang dahil sa tensyon sa Gitnang Silangan, “we had looked forward to all 36 countries of the Sambo Union of Asia and Oceania to send teams. If we get 31 nations, I would be very happy.”
Sinabi ni PSC Chair Patrick Gregorio na ang positibong pag-unlad na ito ay isa pang patunay na ang pagsuporta sa sports tourism ay kapaki-pakinabang para sa ekonomiya.
“Hosting a well-organized international competition like the forthcoming 11th Asia-Oceania Sambo Championships is always a welcome enterprise that generates income for both the government and the tourism industry,” ani Gregorio.
“Sports events like these are win-win situations for all: The foreign visitors, fans, and the various stakeholders involved in staging them.”
Ang Administrative Order No. 38 na nilagdaan ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. noong Oktubre 2025 na lumilikha sa NST-IAC ay naging malaking biyaya sa sports tourism.
“With each staging of an international meet in our country, the NST-IAC has provided the proper guidance and framework so that these sports and tourism showcases can really shine and leave long lasting memories,” ani Gregorio, na siya ring namumuno sa NST-IAC.
“The overall template and formula in staging successful international tournaments locally is now there, and we continue to adjust and tweak it so that successive ones can be better than before. The coordination and cooperation among government agencies, the national sports associations and the private sector involved in these projects is more integrated, efficient and cohesive,” paliwanag ni Gregorio.
“We are bringing all of these knowledge, experiences and outputs to ensure that the country’s staging of the 11th Asia-Oceania Sambo Championships will be another huge success in all areas,” dagdag niya.