The two countries were among the 10 that competed for medals in the 2,500-capacity arena of the National Cycling Centre.  

They were joined by hosts Trinidad and Tobago as well as Barbados, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico, Saint Lucia and Venezuela.

Athletes from both Curaçao and Grenada won medals at the Championships.

Curaçao’s two male competitors, Robin Housen and Jensley Rosalina, contested the sport sambo under-90 kilograms event and finished as the bronze medallists.  

"It was merely enthralling," Housen, who was previously practicing judo and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), said.  

"I wish I could test myself once again at major international sambo tournaments and learn as much as possible about this martial art."

Rosalina added: "I did enjoy performing at the sambo competition.

"I believe this event can become a landmark for the development of this sport in Curaçao."

Asked about his plans for the future, Housen insisted he will definitely continue to participate in sambo events.

"Next time I'm going to be more prepared for the fights, however, it is rather difficult to practice sambo in Curaçao as we still lack any special clubs, and accordingly, we've got neither experienced coaches nor the necessary equipment," he said.

"Yet I believe it's just a matter of time before we get all these things."

Rosalina's career in sports is chiefly connected with boxing and MMA and he now wants to prove himself in sambo.

He is taking inspiration from Russian mixed martial artist Khabib Nurmagomedov, the current Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion who used to compete in sambo.

"We often watch his fights on the web and this inspires us to train harder," Rosalina added.

Gideon Jonker, the coach of both Housen and Rosalina, said he hopes that Curaçao’s participation in the tournament will serve as a springboard for the promotion of sambo in the country.

"I will be happy if we manage to organise a tournament in this sport in our country," he added.

"Many athletes in Curaçao are quite interested in practicing sambo and we’ll keep on moving in this direction."

A live television broadcast of the Caribbean Sambo Invitational Championships was shown in 22 of the region’s countries.