A total of 120 sambists from 22 countries will compete in the two-day event. 

Competition in sport sambo and combat sambo will be held tomorrow and Sunday (July 22) at the Emotion Casino Jai Alai.

Beach sambo, making its debut at the Championships, is due to take place on Papagayo Beach on Sunday evening. 

Sport sambo will be contested in nine weight categories for both men and women.

There are also nine divisions in combat sambo, while the beach sambo weight categories are the men’s over-82 kilograms and women’s over-64kg.

"We are very happy to welcome all participants of the Pan American Sambo Championships in Mexico and we will try to do everything that is possible to make athletes, coaches and representatives of National Federations feel comfortable in our country," Antonio Ramirez Rebollar, the President of the Sambo and Combat Sambo Association of Mexico, said.  

"We are pleased that the debut of beach sambo in the Continental Championships will take place in Acapulco because this famous tourist city on the Pacific coast is very suitable for such competitions.

"We wish good luck to all participants and let the strongest win."

Speaking at the pre-event press conference, Rebollar expressed his gratitude to the representatives of the municipality of Acapulco and the State of Guerrero for their assistance in organising the Championships.

"With no participation of the city or the State, staging these competitions would be an extremely difficult task," he said.

Rebollar also noted that sambo had appeared in Acapulco 20 years ago and that it is now being actively expanded, not only in Mexico, but throughout the entire American continent.