# Sambo (Самбо) (martial art)
**Sambo** (Самбо) is a Russian martial art and combat sport built around throws, hold-downs, and joint locks, developed in the Soviet Union in the 1920s and 1930s from a synthesis of judo, jiu-jitsu, and the national wrestling styles of the USSR's peoples[1](https://sambo.sport/en/news/istoriya-sambo/) • [2](https://findtherules.com/games/sambo). The name is an abbreviation of the Russian *samozashchita bez oruzhiya*, "self-defense without weapons"[3](https://www.lemonde.fr/sports-de-combat/article/2012/10/04/les-racines-tourmentees-du-sambo-1-2_5981596_1616664.html). It is contested today in two main forms: sport sambo, a jacket-wrestling grappling sport, and combat sambo, which adds strikes[2](https://findtherules.com/games/sambo).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Native name | Самбо, an abbreviation of *samozashchita bez oruzhiya* ("self-defense without weapons")[3](https://www.lemonde.fr/sports-de-combat/article/2012/10/04/les-racines-tourmentees-du-sambo-1-2_5981596_1616664.html) |
| Official birth date | November 16, 1938, when the USSR's All-Union Committee on Physical Culture and Sports issued Order No. 633, "On the Development of Free Style Wrestling"[1](https://sambo.sport/en/news/istoriya-sambo/) |
| Principal founders | V. S. Oschepkov, V. A. Spiridonov, and A. A. Kharlampiev[1](https://sambo.sport/en/news/istoriya-sambo/) |
| Main disciplines | Sport sambo (throws, hold-downs, arm and leg locks) and combat sambo (which also allows strikes)[2](https://findtherules.com/games/sambo) |
| International recognition | Recognized by FILA as an international wrestling style in 1966; provisional IOC recognition on 30 November 2018[1](https://sambo.sport/en/news/istoriya-sambo/) • [4](https://sambo.sport/upload/iblock/680/6806f4b3b0d17069626c24432304f38c.pdf) |
| Governing body | International SAMBO Federation (FIAS), founded in Madrid on June 13, 1984 by delegates from 56 countries[5](https://www.sambo.sport/en/fias/history/) |
| First World Championship | Tehran, 1973, with practitioners from 11 countries[1](https://sambo.sport/en/news/istoriya-sambo/) |
## Origins in the Soviet Union
Sambo took shape in the 1920s and 1930s as a unified Soviet system of unarmed self-defense and wrestling. The FIAS history names three key figures: V. S. Oschepkov, V. A. Spiridonov, and A. A. Kharlampiev, who gathered experience from many fighting systems, set up classes, and popularized the sport[1](https://sambo.sport/en/news/istoriya-sambo/).
**Spiridonov and Oschepkov.** From 1923, the Dynamo club in Moscow offered combat training for military men and policemen, with Spiridonov as an instructor; he called his discipline "Samoz", literally self-defense without weapons, and taught it to [Joseph Stalin](https://www.edgepedia.org/joseph-stalin)'s personal bodyguards[3](https://www.lemonde.fr/sports-de-combat/article/2012/10/04/les-racines-tourmentees-du-sambo-1-2_5981596_1616664.html). The name SAMBO itself first appeared in Spiridonov's 1928 book *Unarmed Self-Defense (Training and Competition)*, though the abbreviation did not catch on immediately and "free style wrestling" remained in common use for some time[1](https://sambo.sport/en/news/istoriya-sambo/). Oschepkov's path ran through Japan: sent to a school in Kyoto in 1907, he learned judo, trained at the Kodokan, and received his black belt from Jigoro Kano in person, becoming the first Russian to hold a 1st dan[3](https://www.lemonde.fr/sports-de-combat/article/2012/10/04/les-racines-tourmentees-du-sambo-1-2_5981596_1616664.html).
**Kharlampiev and official status.** Oschepkov's first student was Anatoly Kharlampiev, who helped spread the system across the USSR[3](https://www.lemonde.fr/sports-de-combat/article/2012/10/04/les-racines-tourmentees-du-sambo-1-2_5981596_1616664.html). The sport's official birth date is November 16, 1938, when Order No. 633 of the All-Union Committee on Physical Culture and Sports, "On the Development of Free Style Wrestling", was issued[1](https://sambo.sport/en/news/istoriya-sambo/). The first tournament took place November 23 to 25, 1939 in Leningrad at [Red Star Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/red-star-stadium), and the martial art received its present name at a spring coaches' meeting in 1947, the year the USSR SAMBO Federation was founded[1](https://sambo.sport/en/news/istoriya-sambo/). The rules of sport sambo were codified during the 1930s[6](https://www.unescoicm.org/en/global_arts/view/45-Sambo).
The official narrative later became contested. Oschepkov, who had always acknowledged judo's influence, was accused of spying for Japan, imprisoned in a Siberian gulag, and executed by a shot to the head in 1937; Kharlampiev then distanced himself from his teacher and proclaimed himself the creator of a system based only on ancient Slavic wrestling[3](https://www.lemonde.fr/sports-de-combat/article/2012/10/04/les-racines-tourmentees-du-sambo-1-2_5981596_1616664.html).
## Technical sources
Sambo is a deliberately synthetic art. FIAS describes it as based on many sports and national types of wrestling and various self-defense systems, incorporating elements of French wrestling, Japanese judo and jiu-jitsu, Azerbaijani "güləş", Moldavian "trînte", French boxing "savate", Dagestani national wrestling, Mongolian "bukh barilda", Chinese "shuai jiao", Armenian "kokh", Tuvan "hapsagai", and Georgian "chidaoba", among others[1](https://sambo.sport/en/news/istoriya-sambo/). Beyond judo and jiu-jitsu, its roots include the national wrestlings of the former USSR: kurash ([Uzbekistan](https://www.edgepedia.org/uzbekistan)), chidaoba (Georgia), kures ([Kazakhstan](https://www.edgepedia.org/kazakhstan)), gulesh ([Azerbaijan](https://www.edgepedia.org/azerbaijan)), and kurijash (Tatarstan and Bashkortostan)[3](https://www.lemonde.fr/sports-de-combat/article/2012/10/04/les-racines-tourmentees-du-sambo-1-2_5981596_1616664.html). A comparative study of training methodologies characterizes sambo as flexible in shifting between striking and grappling techniques, in contrast to judo's emphasis on balance, leverage, and tactical accuracy[7](https://performa.ppj.unp.ac.id/index.php/kepel/article/view/661/).
## Disciplines and rules
**Sport sambo** is a grappling sport often described as jacket wrestling with leg locks[8](https://www.combatpit.com/blog/combat-sambo-vs-sport-sambo). Points are earned through throws and hold-downs, and victory can come from forcing a submission using locks on the arms or legs, though striking and choking are prohibited[2](https://findtherules.com/games/sambo) • [8](https://www.combatpit.com/blog/combat-sambo-vs-sport-sambo). A perfect throw, in which the attacker stays on their feet and the opponent lands flat on the back or in a bridge, is a total-victory condition under Article 28 of the FIAS rules[2](https://findtherules.com/games/sambo) • [9](https://www.boretslab.com/en/articles/sport-sambo-rules). Painful holds are not scored; they end the bout by submission[2](https://findtherules.com/games/sambo).
**Combat sambo** shares much of its rulebook structure with sport sambo, from the uniform to the throw-scoring table, but also allows strikes[2](https://findtherules.com/games/sambo) • [8](https://www.combatpit.com/blog/combat-sambo-vs-sport-sambo).
**Uniform.** The distinctive kit replaced the judo keikogi: a special jacket (kurtka), shorts (trusi), and soft leather footwear (sambofki)[3](https://www.lemonde.fr/sports-de-combat/article/2012/10/04/les-racines-tourmentees-du-sambo-1-2_5981596_1616664.html). FIAS rules require a standard back number on the jacket at international competitions in Sport, Combat, and Beach SAMBO[10](https://sambo.sport/en/news/informatsiya-o-pravilakh-ispolzovaniya-formy-sambo-na-mezhdunarodnykh-sorevnovaniyakh/).
**Recent rule changes.** On March 31, 2026, the FIAS Executive Committee approved a package of amendments to the International SAMBO Rules covering Sport, Combat, Blind, and Deaf SAMBO[11](https://new.sambo.sport/en/news/fias-obnovila-mezhdunarodnye-pravila-sambo-chto-izmenilos-v-razlichnykh-distsiplinakh/). Among the changes, a technical action against an opponent supported on a non-scoring part of the body, such as a knee or the head, is worth half the value of a throw from the standing position; an armlock must be discontinued once both athletes reach a standing position; and a score or penalty may be shown after the end-of-bout signal if the action occurred before time expired[11](https://new.sambo.sport/en/news/fias-obnovila-mezhdunarodnye-pravila-sambo-chto-izmenilos-v-razlichnykh-distsiplinakh/). Under the refereeing rules, the first warning does not affect scoring, the second and third do, and the fourth means withdrawal from the bout[12](https://sambo.sport/en/news/glavnye-izmeneniya-v-pravilakh-sudeystva-fias/).
## International development
Sambo moved onto the international scene in stages. A demonstration was given at the World Exposition in Brussels in 1956; a friendly match between Hungarian and Soviet athletes followed in 1957; a SAMBO association was established in Japan in 1963; and in 1966 the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA) officially recognized sambo as an international sport wrestling with regular international competitions[1](https://sambo.sport/en/news/istoriya-sambo/). The first international tournament was held in Riga in 1967 with participants from Bulgaria, the USSR, Mongolia, Yugoslavia, and Japan; the first open European championship followed in Riga in 1972, and the first World Championship in Tehran in 1973[1](https://sambo.sport/en/news/istoriya-sambo/). The World Cup has been held since 1977, junior world championships since 1979, and women's world championships since 1983[1](https://sambo.sport/en/news/istoriya-sambo/).
In 1984, a constitutive FIAS General Assembly in Madrid drew delegates from 56 countries and elected Fernando Compte as the first president[5](https://www.sambo.sport/en/fias/history/). FIAS joined the General Assembly of International Sports Federations in 1985, accepted the WADA World Anti-Doping Code in 2006, and Vasiliy Shestakov was elected president at the 2009 congress in Salonika[5](https://www.sambo.sport/en/fias/history/). The 2007 World Championship in Prague gathered 332 athletes from 43 countries and was the first tournament to unite sport and martial competitions within a single championship[1](https://sambo.sport/en/news/istoriya-sambo/).
**Olympic movement.** On 30 November 2018, FIAS received provisional recognition from the [International Olympic Committee](https://www.edgepedia.org/international-olympic-committee)'s Executive Board under Rule 25 of the Olympic Charter[4](https://sambo.sport/upload/iblock/680/6806f4b3b0d17069626c24432304f38c.pdf). The same year FIAS became a member of the [Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations](https://www.edgepedia.org/association-of-ioc-recognised-international-sports-federations) and concluded an agreement with the International Military Sports Council (CISM)[5](https://www.sambo.sport/en/fias/history/). Sambo has appeared in the [Universiade](https://www.edgepedia.org/universiade) (Kazan 2013), the European Games (Baku 2015, Minsk 2019), the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (Ashgabat 2017), and the SportAccord World Combat Games[1](https://sambo.sport/en/news/istoriya-sambo/) • [5](https://www.sambo.sport/en/fias/history/). In 2025, FIAS received recognition from the International Paralympic Committee, which its leadership expects to bring Blind SAMBO closer to Paralympic inclusion[13](https://www.sambo.sport/en/news/v-dushanbe-proshyel-kubok-mira-po-sambo-2026/).
## Sambo today
The World SAMBO Championships 2026 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from 6 to 8 November, marks the 50th anniversary tournament, with medals in Sport SAMBO, Combat SAMBO, and Blind SAMBO for men and women[14](https://sambo.sport/en/news/opublikovan-reglament-chempionata-mira-po-sambo-2026-goda/). Sport SAMBO and Blind SAMBO use a group stage followed by knockout rounds with repechage for finalists, while Combat SAMBO uses a group stage and knockout system without repechage[14](https://sambo.sport/en/news/opublikovan-reglament-chempionata-mira-po-sambo-2026-goda/). Since January 1, 2026, athletes from Russia and Belarus have been permitted to compete under their national flags and anthems at all FIAS-sanctioned international competitions, a decision taken by the FIAS Executive Committee in Bogor, Indonesia, on October 3, 2025[15](https://new.sambo.sport/en/news/ofitsialnoe-zayavlenie-mezhdunarodnoy-federatsii-sambo-fias/).
## References
1. [History of SAMBO, International SAMBO Federation (FIAS)](https://sambo.sport/en/news/istoriya-sambo/)
2. [Sambo martial art rules: how to play, Find The Rules](https://findtherules.com/games/sambo)
3. [Les racines tourmentées du sambo (1/2), Le Monde (2012)](https://www.lemonde.fr/sports-de-combat/article/2012/10/04/les-racines-tourmentees-du-sambo-1-2_5981596_1616664.html)
4. [Profile of the International SAMBO Federation (FIAS), PDF](https://sambo.sport/upload/iblock/680/6806f4b3b0d17069626c24432304f38c.pdf)
5. [Sambo History, International Sambo Federation (FIAS)](https://www.sambo.sport/en/fias/history/)
6. [World Martial Arts: Sambo, UNESCO ICM](https://www.unescoicm.org/en/global_arts/view/45-Sambo)
7. [Training Methodologies in Sambo: A Comparative Study with other Martial Arts, Jurnal Performa Olahraga](https://performa.ppj.unp.ac.id/index.php/kepel/article/view/661/)
8. [Combat Sambo vs Sport Sambo: How the Rules Differ (2026 Update), Combatpit](https://www.combatpit.com/blog/combat-sambo-vs-sport-sambo)
9. [Sport sambo rules: a beginner's guide, BORETS LAB](https://www.boretslab.com/en/articles/sport-sambo-rules)
10. [Information on the rules for using SAMBO uniforms at international competitions, FIAS](https://sambo.sport/en/news/informatsiya-o-pravilakh-ispolzovaniya-formy-sambo-na-mezhdunarodnykh-sorevnovaniyakh/)
11. [FIAS Updates International SAMBO Rules: What Changed in Different SAMBO Disciplines, FIAS](https://new.sambo.sport/en/news/fias-obnovila-mezhdunarodnye-pravila-sambo-chto-izmenilos-v-razlichnykh-distsiplinakh/)
12. [Major Changes to the FIAS Refereeing Rules, FIAS](https://sambo.sport/en/news/glavnye-izmeneniya-v-pravilakh-sudeystva-fias/)
13. [World SAMBO Cup 2026 Wraps Up in Dushanbe, FIAS](https://www.sambo.sport/en/news/v-dushanbe-proshyel-kubok-mira-po-sambo-2026/)
14. [World SAMBO Championships 2026 regulations published, FIAS](https://sambo.sport/en/news/opublikovan-reglament-chempionata-mira-po-sambo-2026-goda/)
15. [Official Statement of the International SAMBO Federation (FIAS)](https://new.sambo.sport/en/news/ofitsialnoe-zayavlenie-mezhdunarodnoy-federatsii-sambo-fias/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Combat sports and professional wrestling › Sambo*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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