Vasiliy Sergeyevich Oshchepkov or Васи́лий Серге́евич Още́пков ( January 7 , 1893 - October 10 , 1938 ) was a researcher of different types of national wrestling and martial arts . He was ranked as a Merited Master of Sports of the USSR and an Honored Coach of the USSR . He was one of the founders of Sambo , a martial art developed in the Soviet Union . During the political purges of 1937 , Oshchepkov was accused of being a Japanese spy , and was executed in prison as a result
political purges of 1937
Great Purge
Vasili Oshchepkov