ABU DHABI: The UAE’s Commando Group have emerged victorious at the Abu Dhabi World Amateur Jiu-Jitsu Championship, which is a part of the 16th Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Athletes aged 30 and above competed in the blue- and white-belt divisions on Monday, with Commando Group building on their previous day’s success with an impressive performance.
Brazil’s Checkmat International ended second, with Kazakhstan National Academy in third.
This year’s amateur category competitions had a significant increase in participation.
Mubarak Saleh Al-Menhali, director of the technical department at the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, said the high turnout demonstrates jiu-jitsu’s growing local and international popularity.
Al-Menhali added that the championship shows that jiu-jitsu “transcends age and experience, uniting everyone through shared passion.
“This aligns with the federation’s mission to promote … the incorporation of the sport into daily life, encouraging personal growth and fostering self-improvement for all practitioners.”
One of the guests of honor, Amal Abdul Qadir Al-Afifi, secretary general of the Khalifa Award for Education, said the championship “reflects Abu Dhabi’s commitment to elevating its sports landscape and showcases how the capital has emerged as a global sports hub.”
She commended the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation for creating a sports platform that enables athletes of all ages to hone their skills.