Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed received the UAE jiu-jitsu team and members of the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship organising committee.
The member of Abu Dhabi Executive Council and chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office praised the athletes’ achievements and commended the success of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation in helping position Abu Dhabi as a global jiu-jitsu hub.
He congratulated the UAE national team for winning the 6th Jiu-Jitsu Asian Championships in Bahrain and finishing with 16 medals – eight gold, two silver and six bronze.
This made the UAE the first country in the championship’s history to take home more than 50 per cent of gold medals.
Sheikh Khaled also commended the team’s earlier victory at the 26th Jiu-Jitsu World Championship in Abu Dhabi, where they retained the team title with 53 podium finishes, including 18 gold, 16 silver and 19 bronze medals.
The UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation and the UAE national team members thanked Sheikh Khaled for welcoming them.
Abdel Al Hashemi, chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, president of the Ju-Jitsu Asian Union and senior vice president of the International Jiu-Jitsu Federation, thanked Sheikh Khaled for taking the time to welcome the players, technical staff and the federation’s strategic partners.
“His Highness has always supported the sport of jiu-jitsu,” Mr Al Hashemi said.
“His visit to the national team’s training camp for the World Championship in October had a significant impact on inspiring the players to achieve the greatest level of performance and striving to maintain their leading position.
“Jiu-jitsu is constantly developing in the country thanks to the unwavering support of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. Abu Dhabi has established itself as the global capital of jiu-jitsu and we have full confidence in our athletes to take their talents across the globe and maintain their dominance.”
In the past eight months, the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation has organised and hosted three major championships at Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Arena, strengthening the emirate’s position as the global capital of jiu-jitsu and a hub for mixed martial arts.
The fifth Asian Jiu-Jitsu Championship took place from September 13 to 16, followed by the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, which was held from October 29 to November 6.
The 13th Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship took place from November 14 to 19 last year.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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The UN General Assembly President in quotes:
YEMEN: “The developments we have seen are promising. We really hope that the parties are going to respect the agreed ceasefire. I think that the sense of really having the political will to have a peace process is vital. There is a little bit of hope and the role that the UN has played is very important.”
PALESTINE: “There is no easy fix. We need to find the political will and comply with the resolutions that we have agreed upon.”
OMAN: “It is a very important country in our system. They have a very important role to play in terms of the balance and peace process of that particular part of the world, in that their position is neutral. That is why it is very important to have a dialogue with the Omani authorities.”
REFORM OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL: “This is complicated and it requires time. It is dependent on the effort that members want to put into the process. It is a process that has been going on for 25 years. That process is slow but the issue is huge. I really hope we will see some progress during my tenure.”
