Stars of the future in Jiu-Jitsu Festival
UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation holds media awareness workshop
ABU DHABI, April 12: Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Festival, which is part of the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, today turned its attention to young male Jiu-Jitsu athletes for the first day of the boys Festival competition.
The event, held 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, saw more than 1,000 male competitors across 122 categories take part, aged from as young as 4 to 13 years old from 24 different countries.
Interest in the sport amongst young people has been phenomenal, with over 70,000 young girls and boys signing up to practise the world-famous martial art since JiuJitsu was introduced in the Abu Dhabi school’s curriculum. The UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation hopes to nurture talent and provide the rising stars in the UAE with the opportunity to compete.
Chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation and Jiu-Jitsu Asian Union and Senior Vice President of the Jiu-Jitsu International Federation H.E. Abdulmunem Al Sayed Mohammed Al Hashmi, said: “The talent on display here in Abu Dhabi has been incredible. We are extremely proud of the success of the festival this year, the support of the public and media has been invalu-
Contestants in action
Medal winners seen on the podium
able to the growth of the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship over the nine years and it is testament to the level of talent that Jiu-Jitsu is attracting. We are looking forward to watching the competition unfold and discovering the best talent that Jiu-Jitsu has to offer.”
The Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Festival which comprises of aspiring athletes from girls, boys, white belts and the brand-new Para-JiuJitsu categories, kicks off the Championship event and will run until athletes on the verge of professional stardom; the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship from April 18-22, which will see hundreds of the sport’s elite compete for the highest honours including international stars Gabriel Arges, Alexandre Ribeiro, Jose Junior and Mackenzie Dern; the return of the Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Legends, an epic clash of Jiu-Jitsu icons such as Kenny Florian, Marcio “Pe de Pano” Cruz and Helio “Soneca” Moreira; plus the Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Awards which recognises the talent of the sport at every level.
As well as action in the IPIC Arena fans have also been enjoying lots of family entertainment at the IPIC Fan Zone which will include sponsor activities, interactive stands, family events and food trucks which are open throughout the event, making it the perfect family day-out. There is even the chance to win exciting prizes including a brand-new car from Premier Motors; a Jaguar XE.
The event is open to all and is free to attend across the two weeks. To learn more about the event, to register and keep up-to-date with the program visit www.uaejjf.org
Full results can be found online at https://www.uaejjf.org/event/schedule
Earlier, Shadab Khan (2-57) and Junaid Khan (2-60) had led the attack for Pakistan, which sealed a 2-1 series victory.
Middle-order batsmen were the driving force of the West Indies innings with Shai Hope top-scoring with 71, Jason Mohammed adding 59 and Kieran Powell chipping with a useful 23 after the hosts had managed only 40-2 after losing openers Chadwick Walton and Evin Lewis.
Hope ground out the runs, scoring only one four and two sixes in his 112-ball knock, which ended when he top-edged Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahd, President of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), participated in the Catalonia celebration in Spain on the 25th anniversary of the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, capital of Catalonia, reports Al-Anba daily. Al-Fahd was received by the president of Catalonia Bogd Diamond, and the head of the Spanish Olympic Committee, Alejandro Blanco. Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahd addressed the
audience, including the Duke of Luxembourg.
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