Vasili Oshchepkov

Vasili Oshchepkov (1892–1937) was one of the two co-founders of Sambo. A pioneering Russian judoka who studied directly under Jigoro Kano at the Kodokan in Japan, he was one of the first foreigners to earn a judo black belt. Upon returning to the Soviet Union, he began developing a comprehensive Soviet combat system that blended judo with folk wrestling styles from across the USSR. His work became one of the two pillars of what would later become Sambo. Oshchepkov was arrested during Stalin’s Great Purge in 1937 and died in prison; his contribution was suppressed for decades before being officially recognised.