Abu Dhabi: The UAE national team flew out of Dubai International Airport on Tuesday to participate in the inaugural Asian Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, from December 9 to 11.
The nine-member squad, led by Faisal Al Ketbi, will be vying for the eight gold medals, including the absolute division, that are up for grabs for men in the championship which has drawn 22 nations.
The UAE has emerged as the leading player in the continent — having topped the medals table in both the Asian Beach Games in Vietnam and the Asian Beach Championship in Sri Lanka. “We would expect them to take that momentum forward in a sport in which the bar is constantly raised at every competition in Asia,” said Fahad Ali Al Shamsi, the chief executive officer of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation who also travels as the head of the delegation.
“The competitions that have been drawn up by the Jiu-Jitsu Asian Union (JJAU) provides opportunities for every nation in the continent to gain experience and develop jiu-jitsu.”
Al Shamsi is also the general secretary of the JJAU and will attend executive committee meeting in the sidelines of the tournament plans to further develop the sport in Asia.
Yousuf Al Baloushi, chef de mission, said the UAE squad travelling for the championship are in “good shape” as they are coming off two Grand Slam events and the World Championship in Poland two weeks ago.
“The players are in the middle of the season,” he said. “They have trained well and have participated in several international competitions. I would like to think they are one of the most experienced squads in this inaugural Asian Championship.”
The UAE squad: Zayed Saif Al Mansouri (62kg), Ebrahim Al Hosani (69), Taleb Al Kirbi (69), Mohammad Al Qubaisi (77), Saoud Al Hammadi (85), Khalfan Belhoul (85), Faisal Al Ketbi (94), Zayed Al Kaabi (94), Yahia Mansour Al Hammadi (+94), Yousuf Al Baloushi (chef de mission), Roberto Lima (coach), Henrique Silva (coach).
