RIO DE JANEIRO // Less than three months since UAE judoka Sergiu Toma won bronze at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, a swollen group of 27 Emirati athletes have descended on the coastal Brazilian city intent on claiming more accolades for their country.
The third round of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu Jitsu World Tour takes place across the next two days at the same Olympic venue where Toma made history. With more than 2,000 practitioners registered to compete and the UAE capital putting up a prize fund of $100,000 (D360,000), organisers expect it to eclipse the championship’s two previous rounds in Los Angeles and Tokyo.
Faisal Al Ketbi, the 28-year-old Abu Dhabi native, had to settle for silver in the Japanese capital last month after losing to Brazilian Gabriel Arges. He intends to make amends this weekend.
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“I was very disappointed that I couldn’t win the Gold in Tokyo because I felt I should’ve won it,” Al Ketbi, the Asian Beach Games gold medallist, said from his base at the Cordo Jiu Jitsu Academy in the upscale Barra region of Rio. “I did some small mistakes in the final minute of the fight, which cost me the gold medal, so my aim now is to win the Gold here in Brazil. This country has a very rich history in this sport so to win here would be special.”
While Japan is regarded as the birthplace of the sport, Brazil is widely credited for the evolution of jiu jitsu from a niche martial art into the globally practised craft it is today. Of the 2,085 registered practitioners for this weekend’s event, 1,864 are Brazilian, while organisers say they expect between 4,000 and 5,000 spectators to fill the Rio Olympic Arena.
“In Brazil we always see more engagement and attendance by fans and the media, while the country tends to attract the highest number of participants,” said Mohamed Humaid bin Dalmouj, board member of the UAE Jiu Jitsu Federation (UAEJJF).
The Tour was launched last year with the aim of providing a competitive platform for jiu-jitsu athletes to achieve sporting success on a global level. This year the UAEJJF, somewhat unpopularly, tweaked its regulations, but by doing so brought the competition closer in line with a future Olympic bid. And Al Ketbi says the championship has so far exceeded expectations, with the novelty of prize money and a free flight to January’s Grand Slam event in Abu Dhabi ensuring the events regularly feature the sport’s top practitioners.
“This event is very important for jiu jitsu not just in the UAE but all over the world,” he said. “Players travel from many countries to come to the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam. This is on the right track of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed’s vision to make the Federation and Abu Dhabi the main focal point for the sport. And having seen the commercial success through the media and international TV broadcasters, the Grand Slam is achieving that.”
Yet the success is not limited to achievements off the mat. In Japan, the UAE finished the weekend with 17 medals, including eight golds. Although the field is five times larger in Rio, the hope is to improve on that medal haul, said bin Dalmouj.
“Tokyo was very successful for our players, but we are expecting to do better in Brazil,” he said. “And I am sure we will. Our players are very dedicated and motivated and their confidence is very high. Our senior players like Faisal and Yahya [Al Hamadi] — in the black and brown belt division — I hope they win the gold medals; also our juvenile team will gain good experience competing with the Brazilians.”
Al Ketbi concedes that while he is rarely short of inspiration, this weekend’s host city provides it in droves.
“The motivation is always there: it is for my country and for my people. But when you come to a special place like Rio, where jiu jitsu is such an important sport for the country, you automatically get extra motivation,” said Al Ketbi, who won bronze at the Rio Fall International Open last year. “Also, this is where the UAE won the Olympic medal this year, so that is another special inspiration for the UAE in this city too.”
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