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Khelo India — Ministry of Youth Affairs & SportsTarget Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) — MYAS via Mission Olympic CellSAI Sports Training Centre (STC) — Sports Authority of IndiaNational Sports Development Fund — MYASNational Coaching Development Scheme — SAIShiv Chhatrapati State Sports Award — Govt. of MaharashtraHaryana Medal Reward Policy — Govt. of HaryanaKhelo India — Ministry of Youth Affairs & SportsTarget Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) — MYAS via Mission Olympic CellSAI Sports Training Centre (STC) — Sports Authority of IndiaNational Sports Development Fund — MYASNational Coaching Development Scheme — SAIShiv Chhatrapati State Sports Award — Govt. of MaharashtraHaryana Medal Reward Policy — Govt. of Haryana
Combat

Sambo

Sambo is a combat sport listed on SportSupport.

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Reviewed profileAchievements, tournaments, coaches and FAQs on this page are compiled by hand from federation, government and press reporting, drawing on International SAMBO Federation / SAMBO India Association (sambo.sport), FIAS news coverage of Asian SAMBO Championship 2019, New Delhi. These are not cited to individual documents: we hold no per-claim source for them, so treat dates, counts and career records here as a summary rather than a reference. Sections we hold nothing for are left empty. Sport pages last reviewed as a set: September 2026.

Overview

Origin
Soviet Union
Category
Combat
Olympic discipline
No
Paralympic discipline
No
Central pathway
Federation and state pathway
Athlete profiles on SportSupport
0

Governance and status

Each field below is shown only where we hold a source for it; anything else reads “Not currently verified” rather than a guess. Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition is granted year by year, so it is only ever shown with the year it applies to. Last reviewed: September 2026.

Indian governing/organising body
Sambo Federation of India
Ministry recognition
Not currently verified
International federation
Not currently verified
Khelo India inclusion
Not currently verified
TOPS eligibility
Not currently verified
Olympic status
Not on the Olympic programme
Paralympic status
Not a Paralympic discipline

Sambo is listed on SportSupport in the combat category. Its recorded origin is Soviet Union. It is not on the Olympic programme. We list Sambo Federation of India as the Indian governing/organising body for the sport.

Sambo has a federation and state-level pathway in India, and athletes selected through Sambo Federation of India may be eligible for state sports-quota employment and state cash awards where their state notifies the discipline. TOPS does not apply, as the discipline is outside the Olympic programme.

Scholarships & Funding

Central, state and private scholarships available for sambo athletes in India.

  • Khelo India Talent Identification & Development (KITID)

    Stipend, boarding, coaching and kit at accredited centres for talent identified through the Khelo India selection process (Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports). Applies only to disciplines on the official Khelo India Games list, and only to athletes it selects.

  • National Sports Development Fund (NSDF)

    Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports fund used to sponsor elite athletes' training, foreign coaches and equipment. Allocations are made case by case; we hold no record of NSDF support specific to sambo.

  • Pension for Meritorious Sportspersons

    Lifetime monthly pension for retired internationals who meet the scheme's medal criteria at Asian, Commonwealth or World Championship level — Government of India. Whether a given sambo event counts depends on the scheme's notified list.

  • State sports quota and government employment

    Many states reserve government and public-sector posts for national-level medallists. Which sambo events and which certifying bodies a state accepts varies by state, so check your state's current notification.

Explore all government schemes →

Indian Players

No profiles yet

No athlete profiles are recorded for sambo yet. We only list athletes we can source, so this section stays empty until verifiable profiles exist.

Browse the full athlete directory →

Rules

Sambo is a Soviet-origin jacket wrestling style contested in two main formats. Sport SAMBO allows throws, holds, pins and leg locks but no chokes; bouts run five minutes (seniors) and are won by a total-victory throw (a clean throw where the thrower stays standing), by submission, or on points from throws, pins and near-falls. Combat SAMBO adds punches, kicks, knees, elbows and chokes on top of the same grappling base. Athletes compete in weight categories on a circular mat with an outer safety zone.

Authoritative rulebook: Sambo Federation of India. Age-group and school-level variations are published by SGFI and the state associations each season.

Positions

Typical roles across combat sports. These are category-level descriptions, not a sourced sambo squad list.

  • Fighter / competitor
    Contests bouts inside the ring, mat or cage in a set weight category.
  • Corner / second
    Coach in the corner during the bout — allowed to instruct between rounds.
  • Referee & judges
    Officiate the bout, score rounds and enforce safety rules.
  • Cutman / medical
    Manages cuts, swelling and immediate medical needs between rounds.

Equipment

Standard kit and infrastructure required to train and compete in sambo at a federation-recognised event.

  • Kurtka jacket (red or blue) with reinforced grip belt and loops
  • Sambo shorts matching the jacket colour
  • Sambovki — soft-soled wrestling boots
  • Groin guard and gum shield
  • For Combat SAMBO: helmet with face bar, open-fingered gloves, shin/instep guards and body protection

Governing/organising body

Body listed on SportSupport
Sambo Federation of India

Sambo Federation of India is the body we list as the Indian governing/organising body for Sambo, and state associations affiliated to it run age-group competition. We hold no current-year Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition record for it, so this is not a statement of current recognition — recognition is granted year by year.

Origin
Soviet Union
Olympic
No
Paralympic
No
Category
Combat
All federations →

Major Indian Events

Domestic competitions we hold a source for in sambo.

  • National SAMBO Championship

    Organized by the SAMBO India Association (affiliated to FIAS, the International SAMBO Federation, and the SAMBO Union of Asia and Oceania) across six age categories. India has run national referee/coach certification seminars ahead of a 2026 championship held in Kozhikode.

International Events

Continental and world-level competitions we hold a source for in sambo.

  • Asian SAMBO Championship

    India hosted this tournament in New Delhi in 2019, with 19 countries competing. India has sent smaller delegations to subsequent editions elsewhere in Asia.

  • Asia and Oceania SAMBO Championships

    India continues to compete at recent editions, including 2026 in Manila.

Leagues

No dedicated professional league is currently catalogued for sambo. The national championship under Sambo Federation of India remains the top domestic competition.

All leagues →

International Players

Globally recognised sambo athletes to know outside India.

The international federation for sambo maintains the current world ranking — check the federation site for the up-to-date top names.

Career Options

Ways to build a career in sambo — on the field, on the sidelines and behind the scenes.

  • Sambo remains an early-stage sport in India relative to more established combat disciplines — FIAS has stated ambitions for eventual Olympic status, which would significantly raise the sport's global and domestic profile
  • Playing pathway through SAMBO India Association's age-group national championships
  • Many Indian sambo athletes, similar to their counterparts in kurash, cross over from freestyle wrestling or judo backgrounds
  • Coaching and referee certification through FIAS-recognized seminars, which SAMBO India Association has been actively running ahead of 2026 events
Explore sports careers →Coaches directory →

Related academies

0 listed

No sambo academies are catalogued in the directory yet. Browse the full academy list or list your academy to appear here.

All academies →List your academy →

FAQs

Common questions about sambo in India.

Who governs Sambo in India?▾

We list Sambo Federation of India as the Indian governing/organising body for Sambo, and state associations affiliated to it run age-group and state-level competition. We hold no current-year Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition record for it, so this is not a statement that it is currently a recognised national sports federation — recognition is granted year by year.

Is Sambo an Olympic sport?▾

No, Sambo is not on the Olympic programme.

How do I start playing Sambo in India?▾

The usual routes are a school team under the School Games Federation of India (SGFI), a college team under the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), or a private academy affiliated to your state association under Sambo Federation of India. Age-group state championships follow from there.

What government schemes support Sambo athletes?▾

TOPS does not apply, as Sambo is outside the Olympic programme. State-government cash awards or sports-quota employment can apply where a state notifies the discipline, which varies by state. Sambo does not appear on the official Khelo India Games discipline list, so we make no Khelo India claim for it.

Sambo in every state & UT

Dedicated pages for Sambo in each Indian state and Union Territory — academies, schemes, athletes and how to start.