On November 16, a stamp dedicated to Sambo was put into postal circulation in the Sport series



Sambo (an acronym of self-defense without weapons) is an international type of sports and applied martial arts developed in Russia in the 1920s-1930s on the basis of judo and jiu-jitsu wrestling under the leadership of Vasily Oshchepkov, Victor Spiridonov and Anatoly Kharlampiev.

Sambo is divided into two main lines: competitive and combat sambo. While in the first case, the chief task is to demonstrate throwing techniques or pain techniques, the first priority in combat sambo is the fighter's ability to deprive the opponent of a resistance possibility as effectively and promptly as possible. For this reason, the combat application of sambo in 1947-1991 was accessible only for law enforcement agencies. In terms of the arsenal of techniques in use, combat sambo most closely resembles mixed martial arts out of all sports martial arts existing today.

The sambo philosophy implies that it is not only a type of combat sport and a system of counteracting an opponent without using weapons, but also an educational system that promotes the development of moral and volitional qualities.

The competitive sambo allows the use of sambo wrestling techniques, as well as actions permitted by the competitions rules of all existing martial arts, except for choking holds, that is all kinds of blows with hands, feet, elbows, and knees.

The postage stamp provides an image of mat wrestlers during a fight.

In addition to the issue of the postage stamp, JSC Marka produced First Day Covers and special cancels for Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as a maxi-card.


Design Artist: V. Beltyukov.
Face value: 30 rubles.
Stamp size: 37×37 mm, sheet size: 131×137 mm.
Emission form: a sheet with formatted margins with 9 (3×3) stamps.
Quantity: 99 thousand stamps (11 thousand sheets).

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