Al Ain and Al Wahda score in President’s Jiu-Jitsu Cup

ABU DHABI 24 December 2017: The third round of the President’s Jiu-Jitsu Cup for the 2017-2018 season at Al Ahli Youth Club, Dubai ended on Saturday with Al Ain topping the overall ranking in terms of points, followed by Al Wahda in second and Al Jazirah in third place.

The third round attracted more UAE female and male players to compete for one of the most important titles of the season organized by UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation (UAEJJF). The results were announced amidst a large audience turnout, which is a reflection of the tournament’s popularity and the clubs’ keenness to provide the best performance on the mat.

The third round of the President’s Jiu-Jitsu Cup showed the intensive preparations undertaken by the athletes of various clubs with the intention to accumulate points and win the title by the fifth round, scheduled for March 2018.

The competition was divided into three groups: an over 21 men and women, under 20 boys and girls, under 17 boys and girls.

Al Ain club won the third round with 755 points. When added to its overall points won in the first and second round, Al Ain Club has accumulated a total of 2,107 points in first place, thanks to exceptional performance of its players during the competition. Al Wahda came in second place with a total of 1,390 points and Al Jazirah in third place with a total of 1,363.

“The preparations for this round at the Al Ahli Sporting Club in Dubai lasted for two months, to culminate in this world-class level in accordance with the highest standards and technical equipment. The championship has also won the admiration of all participating clubs and the public. As the championship progressed, the participation and popularity increased, reflecting the championship’s status and its development in becoming a platform to develop the skills of Jiu-Jitsu champions and prepare them to participate in international forums,” said Youssef Al Batran, UAEJJF Board Member and the Championship Director.

Al Batran then pointed out that the championship’s organization and its success in each round, supports the UAEJJF strategy aimed at encouraging the community to adopt Jiu-Jitsu as a lifestyle, thus reflecting the UAE’s status as a capital of this prestigious international sport.

“Every round of this prestigious tournament has witnessed great development in comparison to its previous version. This is very special since this championship is based on an age and weight system, which allows female and male players from different belt groups to compete with others and enhance their skills and experience in the competition. This championship features competitions among the most prominent clubs in the country,” added Al Batran.

“The UAEJJF is continuously looking to the future, and we are working to prepare for it. We are now looking to raise the name of the UAE in the Jakarta Championship in Indonesia by earning more medals to enhance the season’s success, which has already proven the prestigious position of our nation on the world’s Jiu-Jitsu map.”

Al-Batran expressed the Federation’s pride in the level of development achieved by the participating clubs, which resulted from the awareness of the clubs’ officials and boards on the importance of this sport and their investment in enhancing and developing the skills of their players.

“We hope all the clubs continue to develop. They are the seeds of which our female and male athletes develop from and a platform to discover the UAE’s most promising new talents in the sport,” concluded Al Batran.

The players are preparing to continue the challenge and build on the total points they achieved during the first three rounds. The fourth round will be held at the Baynounah Education Complex, Al Dhafra in February 2018, while the fifth round will be held at the Mubadala Arena at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi where the top three clubs will be crowned.

Shouq Abdullah Salem Al Jabri of Al Ain Club, who won the gold medal in the 48kg category in the third round, said that women athletes from all clubs showed an extreme level of competition and were very keen to win.

She then confirmed that the her preparations lasted more than a month and included intensive daily training and thankfully managed to win the gold medal.

She expressed her aspiration to participate in upcoming international championships and her desire to contribute to raising the UAE’s name by achieving outstanding sporting achievements at these leading forums.

The match between Abdalla Al Kabisi and Mansour Al Niyadi in the 94kg category, won the Best Match Award, which was launched by the UAEJJF for the first time in the Second Round of the President’s Jiu-Jitsu Cup.

The match was chosen based on the criteria set by the jury, which included the match’s continuity, performance in both defense and attack, as well as their reactions, style and match atmosphere.

Two athletes participate from each club in each category, and points harvested by the athletes are added to the club’s balance up until the final round were the winning club is determined.

Each gold medal gives 30 points to its owner, while the silver adds 20 points and the bronze adds 10 points. The points are then added to the club’s overall points.

This championship is exclusively for Emirati athletes, and aims at encouraging competition among local clubs. It gives all Jiu-Jitsu players who are registered with the local clubs the opportunity to participate, as the event seeks to discover more distinguished talents among UAE nationals.

The tournament is based on individual matches, according to specific age groups and weights, regardless of the belt worn by the player. The age groups are divided into three groups: a category over 21 pro men and women, under-20 boys and girls and under-17 boys and girls.