UAE athletes to lock horns with top jiu-jitsu stars

Abu Dhabi - The progress could be seen in the success of the UAE's adult athletes participating in this week's ADWPJJC

In only 10 years, Abu Dhabi has got its own Jiu-Jitsu Federation (UAEJJF), staged top international competitions and earned a reputation as the global capital of jiu-jitsu.
As the 11th edition of ADWPJJC unfolds at Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi this week, it may surprise many that Abu Dhabi's biggest jiu-jitsu achievement to date lies at home, within the borders of the UAE.
Much to the delight of Fahad Al Shamsi, chief executive officer of the UAEJJF, the country's boys and girls have seen off challengers from more than 100 countries to emerge as the undisputed champions of this week's Abu Dhabi World Youth Jiu-Jitsu Championship - the dedicated competition for local and international youth at the ADWPJJC 2019. 
The UAE also finished second in the Abu Dhabi World Masters Jiu-Jitsu Championship, which concluded on Tuesday.
"We are proud and happy with where we have reached, it shows the quality of our national programme and reflects the work that started 10 years ago when the Federation was established under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces," said Al Shamsi.
"Our vision was to build the culture of the sport in the Emirates - all of the Emirates. Our youth results this week reflect the quality of work conducted with our partners in domestic clubs, the selection and training of coaches and the widespread development of academies across the country. We plan to achieve successful results for years to come and events like this week have shown the rewards of those efforts." 
The progress could be seen in the success of the UAE's adult athletes participating in this week's ADWPJJC - the highlight of the global jiu-jitsu calendar.
In the numerous ADWPJJC categories at Mubadala Arena, UAE athletes will share mats with the best athletes from major jiu-jitsu nations including Brazil, USA, Japan, France, Australia and the UK. 
Joining them will be hundreds of athletes from emerging talent hotspots such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russian and other nations across the Gulf, wider Asia, Europe, Africa and South America - a traditional conveyor belt for world-class jiu-jitsu practitioners and the source market for many of the UAE's professional coaches now working at clubs across the country.
"It will be very intriguing to see how our talented athletes fare in the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship," said Al Shamsi. "We do not want to put too much pressure on our athletes because many have been training for a lot less years than their international opponents. But jiu-jitsu has penetrated the depths of Emirati culture, it is a core component of our educational curriculum and national consciousness - thankfully we are seeing that in the new generation. We have high hopes for the UAE's children of jiu-jitsu."