Girl power to be on display at the first-ever UAE Female Jiu-Jitsu Championship

In conjunction with International Women’s Day, the nation’s female Jiu-Jitsu champions will take over the mats and showcase their grappling skills this weekend at the UAE Female Jiu-Jitsu Championship taking place on 10th March 2017 at the IPIC arena in Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi. Following registrations taking place from early February, the tournament will see over 500 female competitors between the ages of 14 – 18 years.

Featuring young Emirati women from across the UAE, the day-long championship is the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation’s first ladies-only event that has been organised keeping cultural sensitivities in mind. The event will also see a panel of high-level governmental as well as sporting officials in the UAE in attendance.

Speaking ahead of the tournament, Abdulmunam Al Hashemi, President of the Asian Jiu-Jitsu Union and Chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation said: “Inspired by the work done under the leadership of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women Union and Supreme Chairperson of the Family Development Foundation, we have created this championship to be in conjunction with International Women’s Day and inspire a generation of young women. We extend our appreciation to all mothers, daughters, sisters, and all women in the UAE.

He continued: “The inaugural edition of the UAE Female Jiu-Jitsu Championship has been launched in line with our overall aim to build Jiu-Jitsu as a sport in the UAE – not just with males, but with females as well. We’ve seen the tremendous amount of female talent in various tournaments, most recently the Sharjah International Pro Jiu-Jitsu Championship last month, and want this to be another platform for them to succeed. On behalf of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, we look forward to discovering new talents and further developing the skills of our current champions, all to boost female Jiu-Jitsu stars as they take part in both local and international competitions.”

Jiu-Jitsu has been gaining popularity amongst women in the UAE as it is not only a non-violent sport, but also enhances harmony between the mind and body. It also encourages a more disciplined and healthier way of life, allowing mothers to share the passion for the sport with their children. Tournaments such as the UAE Female Jiu-Jitsu Championship enables youngsters to become role models as well as develop the Jiu-Jitsu community in the UAE.

The championship will be broadcasted live on Abu Dhabi Sports Channel 2, the official media partner for the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation.

The UAE Female Jiu-Jitsu Championship has been organised by the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation as part of its 2016-2017 season agenda, under the support of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.

The highlight of the upcoming events is the ninth edition of the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu 2017, taking place from 10th – 23rd April 2017. Taking place for two full weeks, the championship’s biggest edition yet will see over 10,000 participants from over 100 countries.

As announced at the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Challenge Championship 2017 last weekend, the third round of the President’s Jiu-Jitsu Cup 2017 will take place on 25th March, in order to allow players to participate in the West Asian Championship 2017 in Bahrain.

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