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.
