USA Wrestling has announced that its Pan American Championships Sombo Qualifier will be held at Bender Arena at the American Univ. in Washington, D.C., May 5-6.

The winners of the event will qualify to represent the U.S. in Sombo at the Pan American Championships in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, May 31 - June 4.
 
Athletes will be responsible for covering the entire cost of participating in the Pan American Sombo Championships.

Athletes who finish first in their weight classes will have the first right of refusal to compete at the Pan American Championships. Winners must declare their intent at the end of the Qualifier on May 6, and provide a $100 deposit at that time for the trip.

FILA, the international wrestling federation, has added Sombo as an international wrestling style. Sombo is a style of jacket wrestling with submission holds originally developed in the former Soviet Union as a form of unarmed self-defense.

Click here for Sombo history and basic rules

This will be the first Sombo competition hosted by USA Wrestling since the sport has been reintroduced to international wrestling. USA Wrestling is the National Governing Body of wrestling in the United States, and is responsible for developing all styles of the sport, including Sombo.

All participants in the Pan American Championships Sombo Qualifier must be members of USA Wrestling. Membership cards will be available at the competition. The entry fee for the tournament is $20.

Competition will be for both men and women. The weight classes for Sombo are the same as in international freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling:
Men: 55 kg, 60 kg, 66 kg, 74 kg, 84 kg, 96 kg, 120 kg
Women: 48 kg, 51 kg, 55 kg, 59 kg, 63 kg, 67 kg, 72 kg.

The American University is located at 4440 Massachusetts Ave. in Washington, DC.

For more information, contact Event Director Josh Henson at 703-560-3310 or via e-mail at henson99@juno.com

PAN AMERICAN SOMBO QUALIFIER PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE

Friday, May 5
7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. - Registration 
8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Medical Check and Weigh-in

Saturday, May 6
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Competition session I
2:00 p.m. - conclusion - Competition session II