A whopping AED 3 million in cash prizes will be awarded to the winners at the 14th edition of the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, which gets underway at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena in Zayed Sports in Abu Dhabi on Friday, the organisers UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation has revealed. The Championship held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, will feature competitions through November 11- 19 in a range of talent, age and weight categories.
Preparations complete
Meanwhile, the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation has confirmed that the tournament’s preparations are complete and the registration process for the competitors, who flocked to the UAE capital over the last few days has been completed. Some athletes had arrived in the city beforehand to compete in the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship, which ended on Tuesday.
On the opening day of the championship, the competitions for the various kid divisions and the Para-JiuJitsu category will take place, and the weigh-in procedures were already completed on Thursday. The competitions will be held concurrently across 11 mats to accommodate the most athletes at the given time.
His Excellency Abdel Moneim Al Hashemi, Chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, President of the Ju-Jitsu Asian Union, and Senior Vice President of the International Jiu-Jitsu Federation, expressed his gratitude to the wise leadership of the UAE for their constant support of the sport of jiu-jitsu in the country.
“The patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, for the championship, is a badge of honour for the athletes in the UAE and the rest of the world. The impressive performance of our athletes at world forums is a result of the support they received from His Highness,” he said.
Al-Hashemi continued: “We are beginning a new chapter of success as we warmly welcome professional athletes from all over the world to their favourite competition, the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, which starts tomorrow at the World Capital of Jiu-Jitsu.”
For his part, Fahad Ali Al Shamsi, General Secretary of the UAEJJF, said: “Giving the winners prizes with a total of AED 3 million demonstrates our dedication to giving jiu-jitsu talents from all over the world the appreciation and encourage them to keep working hard to advance their skills.”
Mr Obaid Abdulla Al Dhaheri, Chief Executive Officer of Dolphin Energy Limited, said the ADWPJJC enjoys a high reputation at the international level. “We are pleased to sponsor the jiu-jitsu competition as it enjoys a great stature and reputation on a global scale. The impact of the championship in terms of promoting diversity, talent, and self-development is evident as the sport is growing in popularity day by day,” he said.
Foreign athletes arrive
With hours left until the championship kicks off, the world champions have started descending on Abu Dhabi. Among them was Mário Edson (Cowboy), a 4th-degree black belt from Brazil, who is participating in the Master 3 (69kg) and Adult (69kg) divisions.
“Abu Dhabi has continuously hosted the best jiu-jitsu competitions. This is my sixth time competing in the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship. Every athlete wants to win in Abu Dhabi, so we have been practicing for months to win the title. We always look forward to participating in this championship and mark it on our calendars in advance,” he said.
Championship schedule
Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Festival 2022 will be held from November 11 – 12
Abu Dhabi World Youth Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2022 will be held from November 13 – 14
Abu Dhabi World Masters Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2022 will be held from November 15 – 16
Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2022 from November 17 – 19
The Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Award will be held on November 19
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