ABU DHABI // If Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Renzo Gracie proves correct, it will not be long before the martial art experiences a renaissance on a particularly ambitious scale.
“It has everything to become an Olympic sport,” Gracie said at a workshop for instructors attached to the Abu Dhabi Education Council at the FGB Arena at Zayed Sports City.
"Now in partnership with the Emirates, I believe it is a certain goal. The sport is growing all over Asia. It is already big in North and South America. It can't be ignored anymore. It is a matter of time before we get in there.
"This won't take long for the sport to reach the Olympics because the last championship in Abu Dhabi [World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship] drew more than 3,000 participants.
“The last competition in California [the World Championship] had over 2,500. These numbers would certainly not go unnoticed.”
Gracie, 47, is the grandson of Carlos Gracie, the founder of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He has been practising the martial art since he was five and is a renowned coach who resides in the United States.
Gracie is no stranger to Abu Dhabi. He first visited the UAE capital in 1993, when Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed practised the martial art, and he has been a regular visitor to the city.
“Abu Dhabi was a small city when I first visited 21 years ago, and the growth of the city to what it is now is an amazing development. Jiu-jitsu, too, has grown as much as the city has developed,” he said.
"It is amazing to see how much the sport has grown. I am very glad with this achievement. We expected jiu-jitsu to grow, but when Abu Dhabi came in the sport just took off in a big way. I can't imagine how big it will become in the future."
Gracie said the beauty of the sport lay in its constant evolution and new techniques adapted by each of its practitioners.
“Every time I got on to the mat, I learn something new. I have been doing this for 42 years and I am still learning new things,” he said.
“As I was teaching, I see different techniques and different body types. For me, there is never a dull moment because it is a constant learning curve.”
More than 200 instructors attached to the national schools in the UAE attended the workshop organised by ADEC in association with the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation and Palm Sports.
“The instructors, most of them my students at some point, are all black belts who teach in the schools in a programme set up by the ADEC. This is one of the most efficient ways to spread the sport,” Gracie said.
According to Mubarak Al Menhali, the marketing and communications manager of the UAEJJF, a busy schedule will be released today for the new season of domestic competitions.
“The new schedule will consist of an event every month, starting with the first competition at the Al Wasl Club in Dubai in the middle of September,” he said.
“The growth and development of the sport, as in every season, has been quite remarkable and this season is no exception, with plans already in place to hold more competitions around the country.”
apassela@thenational.ae
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