Forty-eight of the best Emirati junior jiu-jitsu fighters embark on Wednesday on a six-day journey halfway around the world to test their skills for the first time in an international competition.
The UAE delegation, composed of athletes between the ages of 10 and 16, will take a 16-hour nonstop journey of 13,500 kilometres, to Los Angeles. Etihad Flight 171 is the world’s third-longest regularly scheduled commercial flight.
The kids then will be driven 20 miles to the seaside city of Long Beach, site of the American National Kids Jiu-Jitsu Championship, to be held Saturday and Sunday in the city’s Convention Center.
The Emirati party departs on the return journey of 13,500km on Monday, arriving in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
“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.
“We as athletes will have to adapt as quickly as possible to face any situation.
“We have been training for over a month and have been briefed about the travel and the competition itself, so we are mentally well-prepared. Our opponents, of course, will remain an unknown quantity for us, but it will be the same for them.”
Al Shyari has been training seven days a week from the time she was selected to the national age-group team more than a month ago.
“This is an opportunity many of us have been longing for,” she said. “I doubled my training schedule. I feel I am stronger now, both physically and mentally, to reach the medal round.
“If not, I have tried very hard and done my best for my country. But whatever the outcome from this competition, it is not going to stop me from pursuing a full-time career in jiu-jitsu.”
As well as receiving a briefing from the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation (UAEJJF), Al Shyari said many of the athletes did additional research on their own.
“With the modern technology, it has become so easy to find out where we are travelling,” she said.
“All of us in the tour have travelled widely and can cope with the schedule. In fact, we are all ecstatic and excited to get on board the flight. Just dying to get there and compete.”
Fahad Ali Al Shamsi, the chief executive of the UAEJJF, said the tour marks a new beginning for those children who have emerged from the national jiu-jitsu schools project.
“The federation is working on a long-term vision, both at the domestic level and internationally,” said Al Shamsi, who is also the general secretary of the Asian Jiu-Jitsu Union.
“This maiden tour for the children to the USA is to provide them the opportunity to compete at an international stage and gain experience.
“Without doubt, it will give many others the incentive and motivation to work harder and achieve their objectives in representing the country. We chose this championship because it is one of the most established around the world.”
The International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) has stepped in with the sponsorship deal for the tour, which was arranged by the UAEJJF in association with the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) and Palms Sports.
Mubarak Al Menhali, director of marketing and communications for the UAEJJF, heads the delegation, which also includes coaches and officials from Adec.
Even though the trip encompasses only seven days, two of them given over almost entirely to flying, the Emiratis have planned some tourist events while in southern California, including a trip tomorrow to see the Hollywood sign, and time for shopping on Friday.
apassela@thenational.ae
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