Abu Dhabi: UAE clinched the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship crown for the third straight with a dominating display in the 11-day event at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena in Zayed Sports City.
The national team, sponsored by Mubadala Investment Company, staged solid performances across various divisions to finish with a staggering haul of 63 medals, including 26 gold, 17 silver and 20 bronze. Kazakhstan and Germany secured second and third places respectively in the 27th edition of the championship.
The final day’s competitions were attended by Panagiotis Theodoropoulos, President of the Jiu-Jitsu International Federation, Abdel Moneim Al Hashemi, President of the UAE and Asian Federations, and Senior Vice-President of the International Jiu-Jitsu Federation, Mohammed Salem Al Dhaheri, Vice-Chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, Fahad Ali Al Shamsi, Secretary General of the UAE and Asian Federations, Dr Marwan Ali Al Kaabi, Executive Director of the Infrastructure Department at Pure Health, and a number of heads of continental and national federations.
Ardent task
Theodoropoulos complimented the UAE for hosting the championship for a third consecutive year. “Hosting the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship for three consecutive years is an accomplishment that may never be repeated in another city in the entire world, not to mention the unique global standards Abu Dhabi has adopts in hosting major sports events. It will be an ardent task for future host cities to organise a similar event,” he said.
Sheikh Khaled Bin Mohamed Bin Zayed, Member of Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Office, said: “Our happiness is multiplied today as Abu Dhabi shows to the world that it is the perfect location for hosting the biggest sporting events of all kinds. The fact that the national team has garnered an unprecedented number of medals calls for even more joy and celebration. It demonstrates the successful future we have ahead of us.”
MoU signed
On the sidelines of the competitions on Tuesday, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the UAE Jiu-jitsu Federation and Jiu-Jitsu Federations of Israel, Bahrain and Morocco. The agreement involves several key factors aimed at developing the sport in all four countries and hosting events.
Eli Poplinger, board member of the Israeli Jiu-Jitsu Federation, said: “the agreement will boost the friendship between the nations. “The MoU we signed today stands for peace and friendship. We want to show the world how jiu-jitsu can contribute to the friendly relationships between all of the countries,” he said.
