The Finnish Sambo federation was officially registered in 2009 and began its active operation under the presidency of Auvo Niiniketo in 2012.
There was a need to create a solid structure in order to cooperate with sport clubs for sambo development in Finland.
In spite of its young age, the Finnish sambo federation has seen considerable success at the competitions. Antti Rintamäki won the first international medal at the European championships in Italy 2013. He took the bronze medal in the weight category – 68kg. After that Heikki Haapa-aho took the third place in the World Combat Games in Saint Petersburg in the weight category +100kg. Johanna Ylinen was the first female competitor who won the bronze medal in the world championships in Saint-Petersburg 2013. After this Ylinen has won 3 World Championship medals, the best of them is the silver medal from the World Championships in Sofia.