A Soviet-developed combat sport blending jacket wrestling with judo throws and effective leg-lock submissions on the ground.
Origin and rules
Sambo, an acronym for self-defence without weapons, was developed in the 1920s by Soviet pioneers Vasili Oshchepkov and Viktor Spiridonov to standardise unarmed combat training for the Red Army. The international federation was formed in 1985.
How it plays
Three formats are contested. Sport sambo focuses on throws and submissions, especially leg locks, with chokes banned. Combat sambo adds strikes including punches, kicks, knees, and elbows. Beach sambo is a no-gi sand format with shorter rules.
Competition
The FIAS World Sambo Championships, the European Games, and the World Combat Games are the elite events. Russia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Ukraine, and Mongolia are leading nations. Sambo was added to the IOC as a recognised sport in 2018 but is not yet on the Olympic programme.
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Sambo starts with S and ends with O. Browse other sports along the same letter.
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