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Sambo

Self-defence without weapons.

Created in the Soviet Union in the 1920s and 1930s, sambo combines judo, wrestling and folk fighting styles. The name is a Russian acronym for "self-defence without weapons".

Fact file

Country
Russia
Founder / origin
Vasili Oshchepkov; Anatoly Kharlampiev
Year / period
1920s–1930s
Type
Grappling & wrestling
Sources: FIAS — International SAMBO Federation · International Olympic Committee

History

Sambo is a Russian abbreviation of "self-defence without weapons". It was developed in the Soviet Union in the 1920s and 1930s by Vasili Oshchepkov, who had studied judo at the Kodokan, Viktor Spiridonov and Anatoly Kharlampiev, who also drew on wrestling styles from across the USSR.

Sambo was officially recognised as a sport on 16 November 1938 — still celebrated as Sambo Day. There are two forms: sport sambo (throws and leg locks, no chokes) and combat sambo, with strikes. FIAS was founded in 1984 and received provisional IOC recognition in 2021.