SAMBO Pilipinas is Southern NSA of the Year 2025
By Lito delos Reyes
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 16 Sep 2025
SAMBO Pilipinas, now known as Pilipinas Sambo Federation (PSFI) is the National Sports Association [NSA] of the Year in the 2025 Sports Heroes Night on September 28 at 6 p.m. at the Grand Ballroom of The Royal Mandaya Hotel in Davao City.
PSFI is the only NSA which is Davao City based.
PSFI is headed by its President Paolo L. Tancontian, a Dabawenyo, who started as the youngest judoka in the country to receive a black belt at 17 years old.
PSFI was recognized by Sambo Union of Asia(SUA) as the national governing body of Sambo in the Philippines in 2015.
It was granted full membership by the Fédération Internationale de Sambo (FIAS) in 2016.
PSFI is now one of the most active NSAs in the Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Sports Commission.
It is still a demo sport in the coming Batang Pinoy in General Santos City but will soon become a regular sport in the Palarong Pambansa.
“Sambo is still a demo sport for young Pinoys. Slowly, we will enter the Palarong Pambansa,” said the 52-year-old Tancontian.
PSFI's first World-level achievement came from Sydney Sy Tancontian, who garnered bronze medals in the 2018 World Sambo Championship in Bucharest Romania and another bronze medal in the 2019 World Cup in Moscow, Russia.
A very first for the Philippines and for the South East Asian Region.
In December 3–5, 2019, Sambo was included in the sports program of the 30th South East Asian Games held in Angeles, Pampanga Philippines with 7 categories consisting of Sport Sambo, Combat Sambo and 5 Man Mixed Sambo Team Events.
Sydney and her younger brother Chino are also the Female and Male awardees for the 2025 Southern Sports Hero of the Year by the Southern Sports Digest and the Davao Sports Association.
Sydney earned the award for winning the bronze medals in the +80kg of the 2025 Grand Prix de Sambo de Paris held in Paris, France last June.
Chino, on the other hand, won his gold medal in the 51st All Japan Sambo Championships & Japan International Competition, held last February at Sumida-ku Sogo Gymnasium in Tokyo.
Tancontian, on the other hand, has made a lot of achievements since it was recognized in 2019 by the POC and PSC.
It started as a small group from Davao and now it is one of the best in the world.
It is now the top five in Asia and many of the PSFI athletes have entered the top ranking.
“We almost won the gold medal in the World Games that's second to the Olympics,” said Tancontian.
Most of the competitors are from Central Asia.
“They have been practicing Sambo 40-60 years ago while we only practiced it 10 years ago,” said Tancontian.
Tancontian now “plans to strengthen the National Team even more.”
“Let's focus on grassroots programs and hosting international events in the Philippines,” said Tancontian.
The 2025 Southern Sports Heroes Nights is on September 28 at 6 p.m. at the Grand Ball of The Royal Mandaya Hotel.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Lito delos Reyes.
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