UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation to launch new season with President’s Cup

The UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation (UAEJJF)announced the 2016-2017 season agenda for Jiu-Jitsu in the UAE that will establish the country’s Jiu-Jitsu scene as a strong competitor in the global arena.

The announcement was made at a press conference held Wednesday in Abu Dhabi and was attended by Mohammed Salem Al Dhaheri, Vice-Chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation and Executive Director of School Operations at the Abu Dhabi Education Council; Fahad Ali Al Shamsi, the CEO of UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, Secretary General of the Jiu-Jitsu Asian Union and Head of the Administration Office of the Jiu-Jitsu International Federation; Yaqoob Al Saadi, Head of Abu Dhabi Sports Channels; and SDh Hijazi, Assistant General Manager of Premier Motors.

Abdul Moniem Al Hashemi, the Chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu in a statement said thanked His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, for his continued support to the sport.

"We will continue striving to achieve our end goal of developing a new generation of disciplined Jiu-Jitsu players, who are capable and committed to the service of our great country,” he said.

Mohammed Salem Al Dhaheri, vice-chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation and Executive Director of School Operations at the Abu Dhabi Education Council, said: “Jiu-Jitsu has rapidly grown over the past few years in the UAE, with many clubs introducing the game to their offering of sport activities. This development supports our mandate of reaching 100,000 players in the UAE by 2020 through introducing the game to every UAE household and reaffirms the need for more tournaments.”

The 2016-2017 Jiu-Jitsu season will witness a number of additions to the championships and events in the agenda including the introduction of The Jiu-Jitsu President's Cup, which will be held on August 27, 2016.

It will include three rounds and open exclusively to UAE clubs and UAE national players.

The second and third rounds will be held on December 24 2016 and March 4 2017 respectively, while the winner will be announced and awarded with the President’s Cup during the third round.

In addition, the UAE Jiu-Jitsu national team will participate in the 5th Asian Beach Games that will be held in Da Nang, Vietnam in September.

The Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Tour has also been expanded to include five events instead of four with the fifth event taking place in Abu Dhabi, the capital of Jiu-Jitsu.

This will add to the tours’ events in Los Angeles, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and London.

The tour will have its own world ranking and an increased prize value of over Dh550,000.

In addition, the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Martyrs Championship which was initiated last year, has also been confirmed as an annual fixture in the agenda of the 2016-2017 season.

Al Dhaehri added: “The introduction of The Jiu-Jitsu President's Cup was undertaken as part of our ongoing efforts to introduce new tournaments which lead to the discovery and development of new and existing talent who can represent the national team on a global stage.”

The UAE’s efforts became the leading force in the promotion of Jiu-Jitsu internationally, as the game continues to earn more recognition with its inclusion at the recent World Beach Games in San Diego, in 2019.

This is considered a great achievement for the UAE and an important milestone for the game to enter other global sporting events, including the Olympics.

Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Managing Director of IPIC said: “As the official partner of the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship in its third year in Abu Dhabi, IPIC is committed to support Jiu-Jitsu, a martial art that promotes health, physical fitness and concentration of mind."

"Our ongoing commitment to cover this global event cements Abu Dhabi’s position as the Jiu-Jitsu capital of the world, as well as a major supporter of tournaments that attract vast numbers of spectators,” said Yaqoob Al Saadi, Head of AD Sports Channels at Abu Dhabi Media.

Abu Dhabi Sports have designated two channels to broadcast all the major sports events happening worldwide, starting with the 'UAE President's Cup' and 'Abu Dhabi Grand Slam' tournaments.

“Viewers can watch the tournaments on Abu Dhabi Sports network channels 2 and 6, in addition to the weekly program ‘Emirates Jiu-Jitsu,’ which kicks off at the beginning of October and will be presented by Tariq Al Hammadi,” Al Saadi added.

Commenting on the expansion of the 2016-2017 season, Fahad Ali Al Shamsi, CEO of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation and Secretary General of the Jiu-Jitsu Asian Union, said: “The new season includes 11 local championships and over 60 championships around the world. In addition, the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation has a membership program that currently includes more than 25,000 international members, enjoying exclusive benefits. The members will also have the opportunity to enter a draw and win a Land Rover Discovery Sport 2017, which will be announced in July 2017”.

The schedule of main events are as follows:

The Jiu-Jitsu President's Cup

First round on August 27
Second round on December 24
Third round on March 4, 2017

The Abu Dhabi Grandslam Tour events

First event on September 3 and 4 in Los Angeles, USA
Second event on October 23r in Tokyo, Japan
Third event on November 12 and 13 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Fourth event on January 13 and 14 in Abu Dhbai, UAE
Fifth event on March 18 in London, UK

The Martyr’s Championship qualifiers for the kids will take place on November 4 and 5 whilst the championship will take place on November 25 and 26 in Abu Dhabi

Al Ain kids Championship will be held on October 21 and 22 and Al Ain international Pro Championship for adults on the October 28 and 29.

Ajman International Pro Jiu-Jitsu Championship will take place on December 16 and 17.

Ras Al Khaimah International Pro Jiu-Jitsu Championship to be held on January 27 and 28, 2017

Sharjah International Pro Jiu-Jitsu Championship will take place on February 10 and 11, 2017.

The Challenge Championship for the youth will be held on February 24 and 25, 2017 in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship will take place between April 14 and 23, 2017

For more information on upcoming events and tournaments, please visit www.uaejjf.org

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