21/09/2026
Sambo originated in the Soviet Union in the 1920s–30s and began spreading internationally in the 1950s and 1960s.
How Sambo came to Britain
The history in Britain goes back to the 1970s. Sambo was initially brought into Britain through the British Amateur Wrestling Association (BAWA). It was sometimes called “Cambo” or “Sombo” in Britain rather than Sambo.
A key figure was Martin Clarke, who had trained and competed in Sambo during the 1970s. In 1985, after reading that Sambo would be included in the World Games in London, Clarke contacted BAWA about Britain entering a team. He was eventually asked to organise the British team himself.
The British team then competed at the 1985 World Games in London, winning:
* 🥇 1 gold
* 🥈 1 silver — Martin Clarke
* 🥉 4 bronze medals
That success led to the establishment of the British Sombo Federation in 1986, with Martin Clarke as its founder.
Interestingly, Sittingbourne, Kent has a particularly important connection to British Sambo. Clarke’s club there hosted the British team trials in 1985, and the first British Open Sambo Championship was held in Sittingbourne in 1986.
So, in simple terms: Sambo came to Britain through the wrestling community in the 1970s, and Martin Clarke played a major role in reviving and establishing it as an organised sport in the UK in the mid-1980s.
