Nicaragua held its National Sambo Championships in June ©FIAS

Nicaragua was able to hold its National Sambo Championships successfully, despite hitting serious tropical rainstorms in the country, which affected the hosting of the event.

A tropical cyclone hit the country last month, which led to heavy rain and in turn, flooding.

This then cause issues with traffic.

It meant that participation numbers at the Championships were cut to those who were from the capital city, Managua.

"Due to weather anomalies, the number of participants in the tournament was significantly reduced - only sambists from Managua were able to take part in the competition," said President of the Nicaraguan Sambo Federation, Kay Useda.

"We were faced with a difficult choice: to postpone the Championship in the hope of improving weather conditions, or to give the athletes who were preparing for this start an opportunity to compete for medals. 

"We made a choice in favour of competitions, because the weather in the country remains unpredictable, and no one knows when sambists from all over the country will be able to gather to participate in the tournament."

Nicaragua had 60 athletes at the National Sambo Championships ©FIAS
Nicaragua had 60 athletes at the National Sambo Championships ©FIAS

A total of 60 athletes competed at the Championships.

Taking into account a combination of results at the Championships, and the achievements of those unable to attend from other regions, Nicaragua will pick its team for the Pan American Sambo Championships.

Recently, sambo made its debut on the programme of the National University Games of Nicaragua, held in May at the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua.