Honduras staged the Jovany Varela Sambo Championships of Honduras as a qualifying tournament for the Pan American Championships ©FIAS

Honduras has staged the Jovany Varela Sambo Championships of Honduras, a qualifying tournament for the Pan American Championships in Costa Rica.

The competition was named after Varela in tribute to his dedication to being one of the founding members of Honduran sambo.

Jorge Miselem, the President of the Honduras Sambo Federation, remarked his importance stems back to June 21, 1995, which was when he led the original sambo training session in the country.

"He is a significant figure in the promotion of our beloved sport on the continent: in the 1990s, Varela participated in numerous MMA tournaments in the USA, Mexico and other countries, representing sambo," he said.


Varela, then 51, competed alongside his son Marvin at the 2019 World Sambo Championships in South Korea.

The Honduran told FIAS TV that he wanted to make "history" by participating with his son.

Sambo clubs based in four Honduran cities took part in the previous Sambo Championships of Honduras.

The Pan American Sambo Championships are due to be held between September 9 and 11.