In pictures: UAE Junior Jiu-Jitsu National Team in California

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  Khaled Nasser Al Otaibi, left, Suhail Ibrahim and Khalifa Mohammed of the UAE Junior Jiu-Jitsu National Team pose for a picture with Hollywood sign in the background on Thursday, October 16, 2014. Zachary Patton for The National

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  UAE Junior Jiu-Jitsu National Team members get on the bus in front of their hotel in Long Beach, California on Thursday, October 16, 2014. Zachary Patton for The National

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  Khaled Nasser Al Otaibi of the UAE Junior Jiu-Jitsu National Team strikes a fighting pose in view of the iconic Hollywood sign on Thursday, October 16, 2014. Zachary Patton for The National

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  UAE Junior Jiu-Jitsu National Team members and coaches gather atop a hill in Griffith Park on Thursday, October 16, 2014. Zachary Patton for The National

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  Part of the UAE Junior Jiu-Jitsu National Team gather for a group shot in front of the iconic Hollywood sign during a team hike on Thursday, October 16, 2014. Zachary Patton for The National

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  Part of the UAE Junior Jiu-Jitsu National Team gather for an informal pose in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency in Long Beach, California on Thursday, October 16, 2014. Zachary Patton for The National

The UAE Junior Jiu-Jitsu National Team consisting of a 64-member delegation – 48 of whom are youth between the ages of 10-16 – will be participating in the American National Kids Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Long Beach, California on Saturday and Sunday.

This is the first time the UAE has sent a team to an international tournament.

“It is indeed a demanding tour, but in modern-day sport, this kind of preparation for a competition is normal,” said Alyazya Khalfan Al Shyari, 14, one of the seven girls among the 48 fighters.

In addition to the tournament, the team visited a number of tourist sites in and around southern California this week.

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