Abu Dhabi: The mood in the UAE Jiu Jitsu federation’s press conference on Wednesday to announce the 2015-16 calendar was a sombre one. Mohammad Salem Al Daheri, the vice-president started his speech acknowledging the sacrifice of the soldiers who lost their lives in Yemen’s Operation Restoring Hope as their CEO, Fahd Ali Al Shamsi, announced that they will be naming a tournament after the martyrs and donating Dh1 million towards war-torn Yemen.
“We would like to dedicate one of the season’s tournaments to honour the martyrs’ memory and we are with their families in this hour of grief,” said Al Shamsi, whose federation has added Fujairah to the new calendar.
The Fujairah Open is new on the list of the UAEJJF for the season that consists of 13 championships across the country, 30 qualifying trials across the globe for the Abu Dhabi World Professional Championships and the recently launched four-leg World Grand Slam Tour. The UAE’s new season kicks off with the Al Ain Open on August 11-12, followed by the Al Ain Junior Championship on August 18-19, both at the UAE University in Al Ain.
The Dubai Open is slated for October at Al Nasr Club, the Ras Al Khaimah Open at the Emirates Club in December, the inaugural Fujairah Open at the Khalifa Hall in January, and the Sharjah Open at the Higher Colleges of Technology in February. The UAE Super Cup is set for November to coincide with the celebrations of National Day, the Challenge Cup in February, and the Abu Dhabi World Professional Championships from April 14 to 23.
“There are a few more surprise announcements lined-up for the National Day but we will let you know about it as the season progresses,” added Al Shamsi. The qualifying trials for the Abu Dhabi World Pro have already begun in July. The 30 qualifying trials will be staged throughout the world with Brazil and the Netherlands already concluded.
The UAEJJF which launched the Grand Slam World Tour in four major cities — Tokyo, Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro, and London – are also introducing a worldwide ranking system of the events affiliated with them from this season. The winner of the competitions in the weight categories will receive 8 points with the runner up getting 4 and third place 2. In the open weights, the winner will receive 12 while the second and third get 6 and 3, respectively.
There will also be several initiatives for the development of the sport among the women in UAE with new training centres coming up.
