ABU DHABI 15 October 2017: : Al Ain International Jiu-Jitsu Championship celebrated a new record on Friday, having gathered 808 girls under the age of 18 from various schools and clubs in the UAE to take part in the widely acclaimed tournament. The Championship witnessed a spate of thrilling competitions, with the spectators applauding seven concurrent fights in an unprecedented arrangement.
The Under-18 Al Ain International Jiu-Jitsu Championship is taking place at the UAE University campus in Al Ain. The tournament was an opportunity for the participating champions to showcase their skills and readiness, in their quest to mount the podium.
This Championship comes on the heels of the excellent performance of UAE girls in international events, such as the Vietnam Asian Games, the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Turkmenistan, and the World U12 Championships in Montenegro. The UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation expects the numbers of female athletes to increase in the coming years, especially after it has dedicated the current year to Emirati women.
Impressive performance
The results of the first day competitions reflected the excellent standards of UAE female players.
· Al Ain Club was ranked first with 13 golds, three silver and one bronze, and a total of 466 points.
· Al Reef School ranked second with four gold medals, five silver and eight bronze, and 335 points.
· Al-Jazeera came in third place with eight golds, two silver and two bronze medals, and 310 points.
· Al-Shiyam came fourth with two golds, four silver and 11 bronze medals, and 301 points.
· Abu Dhabi Women’s Team ranked fifth with six gold medals, three silver and two bronze.
Silver medalist, 13 year old Tarifa Sultan Al Migbali from Al Himma School expressed her delight at winning, saying: “I am proud to have won the second place in an international tournament. I am also happy to meet the hopes of our coaches.”
Al Migbali added: “We have seen the great support of our leaders to women sports and women in Jiu-Jitsu, which helped us develop our skills and performance. We will always raise the UAE flag in international events.”
Day 1 of Al Ain International Jiu-Jitsu Championship was attended by Mohammed Salem Al Dhaheri, Vice Chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, Yousuf Al-Batran, Board Member of the Federation, and Mohammed Hussain Al Marzouqi, Director of Marketing, Communication and Finance. The Championship was also attended by a number of sponsors, partners, and stakeholders.
This Championship is the third leg in the 2017-2018 season organized by the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation and is open for participation from local and international teams.