ABU DHABI: The UAE National Jiu-Jitsu Team reigned supreme on the mats at Sunday’s final day of the AJP Tour Dubai International Pro, underlining the nation’s dominance of the sport.
The competition, organized by the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation in collaboration with AJP, was held at Shabab Al Ahli Dubai Club.
Men and women athletes from all over the world competed in the categories of amateurs and professionals with blue, purple, brown and black belts on the championship’s final day.
In the club categories, Commando Group were crowned champions, with Palms Sports and Sharjah Self-Defense Sports in second and third place respectively.
Meanwhile in the country rankings, the UAE stayed top, ahead of Brazil in second and Colombia in third.
“The success of the AJP Tour Dubai tournament once again demonstrates that the world’s best players are keen to compete in the championships hosted by the federation,” said UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation Board Member Youssef Abdullah Al Batran. “That is in part because of the high standards we maintain throughout our events. This weekend, there were hundreds of players from more than 60 countries attending; making it clear that the UAE is the world capital for jiu-jitsu.”
“The tournament also enabled the national team members to compete against elite athletes from around the world, allowing them to prepare well for upcoming continental and international events, including the Asian Championship in Bahrain this month,” he said.
With the national team, Khaled Mohammed Al Shehhi — a purple belt member of Al Ain Club — won gold in the professional 62 kg category, while fellow purple belt Shamma Al Kalbani won silver in the 62 kg category for Baniyas Club. Brown belt Wadima Al Yafei won the 49 kg division for Al Ain Club.
“Throughout the training camp, we will try to draw lessons, identify flaws and strengths, and address the problems we had during the tournaments in preparation for the Asian Championship,” said Al Yafei. “Under the direction of coach Polyana Lago, we have a clear strategy for transforming obstacles into opportunities to improve our competitive capacities in the future.”
