British Sambo is certainly advancing and 2016 so far has proved a great success. Our year started with the Introduction of the BSF Sport Sambo Instructors Certificate with the first course being held at the BSF Centre of Excellence in Sittingbourne and was led by Sports Sambo National Coach John Clarke. This Certificate is the only one recognised by the UK Governing Body for Sambo the British Sombo Federation. With Matthew Clempner being put in charge of Combat Sambo has already paid dividends with him running instruction courses in Manchester.
On the competition front we have already run the most successful Sport Sambo British Open in years this was held in Sittingbourne (click for more details) and the end of April UKSA will be running the British Combat Sambo Open on behalf of the BSF in Liverpool. The entries so far show it will be the best ever-Combat Sambo Event in GB.
There is a lot going on National Coach John Clarke is organising several tournaments in Sport Sambo for Adults and Children in Sittingbourne plus he is organising a weekend Summer Camp in August. Matthew Clempner will be organising the first ever Open England Combat Sambo Championships in Manchester, English Sambo Federation President Colin Carrott will be organising an Open England Sports Sambo Championships for Adults and Children in Folkestone. We are still waiting for details of the Presidents Cup to be held in Meadow bank Edinburgh which is scheduled for September/October Scottish President Robin Hyslop is in charge of the 3rd Presidents Cup to be held in the UK. Moves are a foot to have the first Sport Sambo in Championships in Northern Ireland.Sambo in GB doesn’t have a massive following but we are getting bigger, the BSF has clubs in nearly every part of mainland UK and N Ireland and we are looking for representatives in Wales to complete our coverage. In 1986 a few members in Sittingbourne formed the BSF after the British Team success in the 1985 World Games. Since its formation the BSF has organised British Open every year since then, it organised the 1989 European Championships, World Championships 1992 both in Herne Bay, 2014 Presidents Cup Dartford, 2015 Presidents Cup Manchester and it has entered a GB Team in nearly all World Championships since then plus it has been a member of FIAS since 1986.What is so pleasing in the early days the BSF was mainly based in Southern England now it stretches all over the UK with founder members Martin Clarke, Valerie Clarke and Alan Kontozistill involved
