Sport For All

I have attended World Sambo Championships since 1985 and I am one of the longest serving members of FIAS, I always have reported on the competitions and the results. Many people ask me why I continue with Sambo as the British get no financial support for UKSport and our teams do not come back covered in glory. The latter is not quite true just have a look at the list below and we do particularly well in Masters events but in the World Senior Championships we very rarely bring back medals. The fact is that FIAS our international Sambo Body is growing year on year and the standard is getting better and better, with many of the countries supporting their athletes with financial help in training and in travelling. Our members have to fund everything themselves and I include all the officials. In the past two years we have been lucky in that FIAS funded our Hotel last year and this year fund 12 for the World Championships and 7 for a weeks training in St Petersburg but this will not happen every year and next year the Worlds are in Japan an expensive trip. Yet the pride in representing GB in a World Championships is over whelming, the experience of meeting like minded people from all over the world is just a great moment but an educational experience you will never forget. So that is why since 1985 I have spent tens of thousands of pounds on something I enjoy and cherish

Sadly the British Government believe the only way to promote sport is to concentrate all the money and effort on a few Olympic Sports and only those sports that win Olympic medals, millions spent on a few elite sports people, with some becoming millionaires from that support and of course their own effort. On a political point this is good PR for UK Inc. and the government but is it any good for the health and well being of British Subjects and my answer to that is NO. UKSport (the governments arm in British Sport) should be encouraging all types of sports including newly invented ones if it encourages people to participate, this will lead to healthy nation, it will encourage all the other benefits of sport. Such as Comradeship, respect for one another including your opponent if you are doing a competitive sport, great for all forms of team building pride in oneself, ones club, ones sport and one countries. I could go on and these things are missing in our society of today. It seems the majority Politicians of all colours seem to miss the fundamentals of life. The Olympics was a great success in British medals, great organisation, great tourism and making lots of money for certain companies and foreign workers. Yet the one thing we were promised was that there would be a revitalisation in sport throughout the country can I just quote the following article:

A major parliamentary report into the London 2012 Olympics warns that the prospect of an "effective and robust" legacy from the Games is in jeopardy unless there is a change in government approach.

The House of Lords Select Committee on Olympic and Paralympic Legacy says the Games were an "outstanding success", but urges the government to appoint a minister with overall responsibility for producing legacy benefits which, it warns, "are in danger of faltering".

The report finds "little evidence" of increased participation in sport, highlights the uneven distribution of economic benefits of the Games across the UK, and also criticises funding body UK Sport for its 'no compromise' policy on sports without short-term medal prospects.”

So even some Politicians are beginning to see the light, as successful competitor I was totally medal orientated but as I got older I realised that I could not win medals without the support of people who did not win and maybe more importantly did not want to win medals or even compete. The old saying of “Taking part is the important thing” maybe old fashioned but true. The time has come to realise winning Olympic Medals is not the only thing Sport can achieve. The Old Sports Councils used promote the message “Sport For All” maybe time has come to return to that ideology

Martin Clarke

Chairman BSF

Judo 8^th Dan

FIAS Sambo Grand Master

FILA Worlds

1966 Steve Pullen Bronze

1973 Richard Barraclough Bronze.

1974 Richard Barraclough Bronze

1974 John Lawinson Bronze

1974 Maurice Allen Gold

FIAS was Formed in 1985

1985 World Games London Martin Clarke Silver BWA

1985 World Games London Bill Ward Gold BWA

1985 World Games Fiona Boty Bronze BWA

1985 World Games Sarah Williams Bronze BWA

1985 World Championships San Sebastian Martin Clarke 5th

1986 World Senior Pau France Martin Clarke Silver

1986 World Senor Pau Nula Sayer Bronze

1986 World Senior Pau Lisa Poole Bronze

1989 World Senior Newark USA Craig Scott Bronze

1989 World Senior Newark Matthew Clempner Bronze

1989 World Cadet Newark John Clarke Silver

1989 World Senior Newark Fiona Boty Gold

1990 World Senior Moscow Alex Wadden Silver

1990 World Senior Moscow Fiona Boty Silver

1990 World Senior Moscow Minnie Brazil Bronze

1992 World Masters Herne Bay England Silver Trevor Roberts

1992 World Masters Herne Bay Dave Jenkins silver

1992 World Senior Herne Bay Rowena Sweatman ladies gold

1992 World Senior Herne Bay Tracey Farmer ladies gold

1992 World Masters Herne Bay Stephen Sweetlove Silver

1992 World Masters Herne Bay Mick Poole Gold

1992 World Cadet Herne Bay Robert Barraclough Gold

1993 World Senior Kstovo Russia Claire Lynch Bronze

1998 World Masters, Malta silver Martin Clarke, Dave Boulding bronze Colin Carrott, Paul Sawyer

1998 World Small Nations, Malta gold Paul Sawyer

2001 World Seniors, Krasnoyarsk, Russia bronze Emily Gittens, Marian Wood

2002 World Masters, Greece bronze Paul Sawyer

2005 World Masters, Prague silver Robin Hyslop bronze Vadim Kolganov, Roland Newson, Grant Waterman, Darrin Richardson

2005 World Combat Sambo, Prague bronze Chris Freeborn

2007 World Masters, Greece bronze Darrin Richardson, Colin Carrott

2008 World Masters, Minsk, Belarus bronze Leigh Till, Paul Sawyer

2009 World Masters, Kaunas, Lithuania silver Leigh Till, bronze Paul Sawyer

2010 World Masters Prague Darren Richardson Silver

2010 World Masters Prague Leigh Till Silver

2013 World Championships Minsk Matthew Clempner Bronze

1985 Brenda Jones and Alan Kontozi Awarded FIAS International C Referee BWA

1986 British Sombo Federation founded by Martin Clarke, Alan Kontozi, Tony Bull, Valerie Clarke, Brenda Jones, Dave Boulding

1990 Brenda Jones Awarded FIAS Exceptional Referee

1990 CombatSombo recognised by FIAS and President Fernando Compte as a Style of Sombo

1991 Martin Clarke made FIAS Grandmaster

1990 BSF recognised as governing for Sombo by all 5 UK Sports Councils

2008 Martin Clarke St Petersburg Russia FIAS Gold Medal services to Sambo and Medal of Honour

2008 Robin Hyslop FIAS Silver Medal services to Sambo

2008 John Clarke FIAS Bronze Medal services to Sambo

2008 Colin Carrott FIAS Bronze Medal services to Sambo

2008 Paul Sawyer FIAS Bronze Medal services to Sambo

2009 Robin Hyslop BSF Master of Sombo

2009 John Clarke BSF Master of Sombo

2009 Colin Carrott BSF Master of Sombo

2008 Paul Sawyer BSF Master of Sombo

2013 Martin Clarke FIAS Sambo 75^th Anniversary Gold Medal awarded to just 8 people