Abu Dhabi: The third edition of Aldar Academies Jiu-Jitsu Cup began in the capital last week to inspire children as young as four years old to adopt the sport. The annual tournament, held in partnership with the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation and Palm Sports, supports the UAE leadership’s ambition to make jiu-jitsu a national sport.
This year’s tournament saw over 120 students, aged four to 15 years from across six schools, compete at Aldar Academies Al Mamoura Academy to vie for championship in their category and help their school triumph as the winning team overall.
“Congratulations must go to all of today’s competitors, who have shown commendable passion, dedication, and bravery to make this year’s Jiu-Jitsu Cup a wonderful success,” commented Nilay Özral, Aldar Academies CEO.
“This is a sport that demands great physical ability and a high degree of mental discipline to succeed — both of which will serve our young students well in the future. This is why the UAE leaders are aiming to make jiu-jitsu a national sport and why Aldar Academies actively supports their vision to do so through today’s annual event. I thank the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation and Palm Sports for being instrumental to the success of our tournament for another year.” added Özral.
Joining the student competitors at Al Mamoura Academy were a team of jiu-jitsu coaches from the UAE military, who devoted their time to inspire and encourage all students while showcasing their skills through a demonstration fight.
“Competitions like today are so crucial to the development of our students because they allow them to hone the technical skills they’ve learnt while developing other soft-skills of self-discipline, focus, and sportsmanship,” said Charlotte Latham, head of Physical Education at Aldar Academies Al Mamoura Academy.
The Aldar Academies Jiu-Jitsu Cup 2018 welcomed students from four of Aldar Academies’ seven leading private schools and ADNOC Schools’ Sas Al Nakhl campus. The return of competitors from ADNOC Schools marks another collaborative event since Aldar Academies signed an agreement with ADNOC Schools to manage four of their campuses in Abu Dhabi and the Al Dhafra region from the start of the 2017-2018 academic year.
