• Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro with a participant in the world's largest jiu-jitsu training session at the Brazil pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. AFP
    Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro with a participant in the world's largest jiu-jitsu training session at the Brazil pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. AFP
  • The UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation set the record by co-ordinating sessions involving 2,700 athletes across 14 sites. EPA
    The UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation set the record by co-ordinating sessions involving 2,700 athletes across 14 sites. EPA
  • Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, attends the session at the Expo alongside Mr Bolsonaro. EPA
    Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, attends the session at the Expo alongside Mr Bolsonaro. EPA
  • Mr Bolsonaro is greeted by a participant at the Brazil pavilion. AFP
    Mr Bolsonaro is greeted by a participant at the Brazil pavilion. AFP
  • The record involved sessions held at sites such as the Expo's Jubilee Park, as well as others in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. AFP
    The record involved sessions held at sites such as the Expo's Jubilee Park, as well as others in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. AFP
  • Sheikh Nahyan and Mr Bolsonaro join participants at the Brazil pavilion. AFP
    Sheikh Nahyan and Mr Bolsonaro join participants at the Brazil pavilion. AFP

UAE

UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation attempts record for the world's largest training session

Event was hosted simultaneously at 14 different sites across the country, including Brazil’s pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai

Gillian Duncan
Gillian Duncan

November 16, 2021

  • English
  • Arabic

The UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation has attempted a new Guinness World Record for the largest Jiu-Jitsu training session, involving 2,700 people.

The event was hosted simultaneously at 14 different sites across the country, including the Brazil pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro made a surprise visit to watch the session at his country's pavilion, with the event taking place on Brazil’s Republic Day.

Mr Bolsonaro met Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, and Fernando Igreja, Brazil's ambassador to the UAE, and took selfies with fans.

Mr Bolsonaro said the 13th Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, taking place from November 17 to 19, “showcases the evolution of the sport in the UAE, and the growth of Jiu-Jitsu across the world".

He said the world record attempt “contributes to the consolidation of relations between the people of UAE and Brazil and the strengthening of bilateral cooperation in areas of common interest”.

Other training sessions for the Guinness World Record bid were staged at nine schools in Abu Dhabi and four in Al Ain.

Mohammed Al Dhaheri, vice chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, said the group was proud to host the world record attempt.

“The session at Expo 2020 Dubai was the highlight, as we hosted it in the Brazil pavilion to coincide with the country’s Republic Day," he said.

“In addition, we chose to organise the classes in 13 schools in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, based on our belief in the importance of promoting the sport among youth, who constitute the most important source of Jiu-Jitsu talent in the UAE."

Brazilian jiu-jitsu is considered the UAE’s unofficial national sport. It is taught as part of the curriculum in more than 100 UAE schools and practised by the Armed Forces.

Abu Dhabi regularly hosts major jiu-jitsu tournaments.

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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