The UAE will be represented by a six-member team in the first of the four regional qualifiers for the inaugural Jiu-Jitsu Asian Union (JJAU) Asian Championships.
The Central and South Asia qualifier on Saturday and Sunday in Bengaluru, India, has drawn more than 105 entries from 10 countries.
The men’s division consists of the 56, 62, 77, 85, 94 and over 94 kilograms, and the women’s event is 49, 55, 62, 70 and above 70kg. The winners in the two-day event will have the opportunity to compete in the open weights.
The winners of each of the 11 weight divisions for the men and the women will earn a direct passage to the inaugural JJAU Asian Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia, in October.
The UAE squad is made up of Taleb Al Karbi, Mohammed Al Qubaisi, Ahmad Ghuloom, Hamdan Al Balooshi, Mohammed Darwish and Nasser Rashid.
Fahad Ali Al Shamsi, general secretary of the JJAU and chief executive of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, said India was one of the most promising nations for the promotion of the sport because of the strength of its population.
“We expect a strong level of competition in this tournament and India, as one of the qualifying venues, to become a major hub for the promotion and development of the sport,” the Emirati said.
“In general, Asia has the potential as the most promising continent in the sport and has set up a strong foundation now that jiu-jitsu has been included in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.
“The qualifiers are an opportunity for all participating nations and their athletes to gain experience.”
The JJAU have also made elaborate plans to stage seminars for the referees and coaches alongside the qualifying competitions.
“The seminars are aimed at sharing the experiences and enhancing the knowledge of the participating countries,” Al Shamsi said.
“We were surprised by the high level of jiu-jitsu we’d seen in the inaugural Asian Beach Games held in Phuket last October, particularly from countries such as Thailand, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Kuwait.”
Yousef Al Bairaq, the UAE team manager, said the national team travelled with high hopes to achieve the maximum benefit from their participation in the qualifiers.
“This competition has arrived just over a month after several of our players took part in the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship,” he said.
“We believe they can take the momentum of both their preparations and participation in this top level competition forward.
“We certainly are looking forward to the progress made by Taleb (Al Karbi) since his promotion to black belt after the World Pro.”
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