Sambo is a martial art with Soviet origins, an internationally practised combat sport, and a recognized style of amateur wrestling included by UWW in the World Wrestling Championships along with Graeco-Roman wrestling and freestyle wrestling.
James "Chico" Hernandez is an American martial artist who competes in the sport of Sambo. He was the first Sambo champion to be featured on a box of Wheaties Energy Crunch and CNN/SI "Faces In the Crowd".
Murat Ruslanovich Khasanov ; is a Russian Sambist and Judoka. He is the only 11-time world heavyweight champion in Sambo. Considered to be one of the greatest practitioners of Sambo and is a member of the FIAS Hall of fame. For high sporting achievements, in 1995 he was awarded the honorary title "Honored Master of Sports of Russia" in Sambo, and in 2003 he was awarded the Order of Friendship. He is currently a Member of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.
The 1973 World Wrestling Championships were held in Tehran, Iran. For the first and subsequently the last time Sambo wrestling was included as part of the World Wrestling Championships programme. U.S. National Team included Buck Deadrich, David Pruzansky and Wayne Baughman. Deadrich and Pruzansky both captured bronze medals
The 2006 World Sambo Championships were held in Sofia, Bulgaria on November 3 to 5 for men's and women's Sambo, and the 2006 Combat Sambo championships were held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on September 30 to October 2
Fedor Vladimirovich Emelianenko is a Russian former professional mixed martial artist (MMA), sambist, and judoka and politician. Emelianenko was the PRIDE Heavyweight Champion from 2003 to the organisation's closure in 2007, a four-time combat sambo world champion, a seven-time combat sambo national champion, and two-time Russian national judo bronze medalist, among other championships and accolades. He also competed in RINGS, Strikeforce, M-1 Global, Rizin, and Bellator MMA, and is regarded as the most prominent fighter never to compete in the UFC. Emelianenko is widely considered to be one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, consistently ranked as the top heavyweight fighter from 2003 until 2010, and the best fighter of the 2000s. Emelianenko's career helped popularize the sport of MMA in his home country of Russia after gaining attention in Japan, South Korea, the United States, and worldwide.
The 2011 World Sambo Championships were held in Vilnius, Lithuania on November 11 to 13 for men's and women's sport Sambo and the Combat Sambo championships was held in Siemens Arena.
The European Wrestling Championships is the second oldest international wrestling competition of the modern world and the main wrestling championships in Europe. It predates World Wrestling Championships and other regional wrestling championships and is second only to the wrestling events at the Olympics. From its inception in 1898 till 1927 only Greco-Roman wrestling was contested. Since 1929 separate freestyle wrestling events were held as well. Since 1970 the two Olympic wrestling styles were contested together during the same unified events. Since 1973 Sambo wrestling was included into the championships programme along with GR and freestyle wrestling. Since 2014 associated traditional wrestling styles recognized globally by UWW were incorporated into the annual championships schedule.
International Federation of Amateur SAMBO is the world governing body for the sport of Sambo.
Alexander Mikhailovich Pushnitsa was the most competitively successful sambist in history of sambo, Merited Master of Sports of the USSR (1980), nine-time champion of the USSR, two-time European champion and three-time world champion. He was a permanent captain of the Soviet Union Sambo team for 15 years. In 1997, in Paris he won the European Championship for sambo veterans. He was a graduate of the Omsk State Institute of Physical Culture (1987). Honorary Citizen of the city of Omsk, Deputy Chairman of Sambo Federation of the Omsk region, and head of the sports school Sambo 2000. An annual sambo tournament has been held in Omsk since 2000 in his honour.
The World Sambo Championships are the main championships in Sambo and Combat Sambo, organized by the Fédération Internationale de Sambo (FIAS).
The European Sambo Championships is the main sambo championships in Europe, organized by the European Sambo Federation. The first championship was held in 1972 in Riga. Ukraine plans to boycott the 2022 European Sambo Championships because Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete with neutral status. Unlike most international federations, the International Sambo Federation (FIAS) has not banned Russian and Belarusians in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The 1991 World Sambo Championships were held in two places because of international politics. In 1991 some countries left the long standing FIAS World Sambo Championships to create their own World Championship FMS / IFS. The 1991 Soviet Union sambo team would be the last Soviet athletic team to compete as one country before the Soviet break up. The 1991 Soviet team became the last to ever win the World Sambo Championships as a country. The FIAS World Sambo Championships were held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and the new FMS World Sambo Championships were held in Chambéry, France in December. Following the 1991 World Championships FIAS continued its control of International Sambo and remains the governing body for the World Sambo Championships.
In 1993 the world governing body for Sambo(FIAS) split into two organizations, both of which used the same name and logo. The two groups were often referred to as FIAS “East”, under Russian control, and FIAS “West”, under United States and Western European control. This division for control of Sambo created two world championships. The 1994 World Sambo Championships East were held in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia and the 1994 World Sambo Championships West were held in Montreal, Canada.
The 2018 World Sambo Championships was held in Bucharest, Romania from 9 and 12 November 2018.
The 1973 World Sambo Championships were held in Tehran, Iran on September 6–11. It was the first World Sambo Championships. The participating teams were from Bulgaria, Mongolia, Iran, Spain, Japan, United States, USSR, Yugoslavia, etc. For the first time World Sambo Championships was part of the FILA World Wrestling Championships
The Pan American Wrestling Championships is the continental wrestling championships for nations from North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Three wrestling styles, recognized internationally by UWW, have been contested annually since the inception, namely: Greco-Roman, freestyle and Sambo wrestling. Since 1997, women's freestyle has also been contested along with the mentioned wrestling styles.
The 2020 World Sambo Championships were held in Novi Sad, Serbia from 4 to 8 November 2020.
The Sambo Federation of Armenia, is the regulating body of sambo in Armenia, governed by the Armenian Olympic Committee. The headquarters of the federation is located in Yerevan.
The 1975 World Sambo Championships were held in Minsk, Belarus on September 6–11. It was the third World Sambo Championships.
Andrey Khodyrev (URS)RUS
Dunkhüügiin Tegshee (MGL)
Angelo Arlandi (ITA)
Georgi Yusev (BUL)
René Rambier (FRA)
Miguel Ángel García (ESP)
Greg Gibson (USA)
Chris Dolman (NED)