ABU DHABI 20 December 2017: The third round of the President’s Jiu-Jitsu Cup for clubs will kick off on Saturday December 23rd, as part of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation (UAEJJF) 2017-2018 season. The event will be held for one day at Shabab Al Ahli Dubai Club.
The UAEJJF said that registration for the third round of the tournament, which opened from July until December 16th, has closed. The competition will feature the over 21’s pro-men and women, under-20 boys and girls and under-17 boys and girls categories.
Shabab Al Ahli Dubai Club will host the third round with the participation of players from the most important local Jiu-Jitsu clubs in the UAE. The fourth round will be held at Baynounah Educational Complex in Al Dhafra, and the final round in the Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi.
This championship is exclusively competed in by Emirati athletes, and aims to encourage competition amongst participating clubs. It gives all registered Jiu-Jitsu players the opportunity to participate, as the event seeks to discover up and coming Emirati talent nationals to be part of the future national team, so that they can receive the due attention and care to ensure their skills will one day reach an international standard.
The championship continues to attract a growing number of participants. The third round is witnessing a significant rise in registration rates, which reflects the determination of the various players and clubs to compete and challenge, especially those who compete for first place after the first and second rounds of the championship. Currently, Al Ain Club lead with a total of 1,352 points, while Al Jazira club are in second with 866 points, Al-Wahda is third with 811 points, and Al Dhafra is fourth with 436 points.
The championship consists of individual matches, according to age and weight groups categories regardless of the belt worn by the player. The age groups are divided into three groups: 21+ for men and women, under 20 boys and girls, under 17 boys and girls.
“One of our most important goals in the UAEJJF is to promote sport and improve the level of athletes in the UAE and provide them with the skills necessary to become champions with world-class competitive skills, and what we saw in the first and second rounds of the President’s Cup is just the evidence we need to prove that we’ve achieved this goal,” said Youssef Al Batran, UAEJJF Board Member.
“The clubs’ Jiu-Jitsu players showed amazing abilities and determination to compete and enhance their skills, resulting in world-class championships’ standards, enabling the UAE’s champions to participate in upcoming international Jiu-Jitsu championships this season, win more medals, and improve their great achievements for this season, which we are proud of,” he added.
The UAEJJF praised the support of the championship’s sponsors, represented by Mubadala Investment Company, Abu Dhabi Media, Etihad Airways, Al Tayer & Land Rover, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), the Ministry of the Interior, Palms Sports, Emirates Global Aluminium, Aafaq Finance, Cavallo, United Al Saqer Group, Al Khaja Holding, Diamond Swords, Dubai Sports Council and Al Ittihad newspaper.
It is worth mentioning that the UAEJJF launched the fifth round of the President’s Jiu-Jitsu Cup championship for the 2017-2018 season within the framework of its main mission, which is supported and guided by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. This mission aims at contributing to the building of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu community, which is highly professional and capable of having the UAE reach the winners’ podium in regional and global events.
Upcoming local competitions
The UAEJJF is preparing for the Fujairah International Pro Jiu-Jitsu Championship, which will be held on January 26-27, 2018 and the Ras Al Khaimah International Pro Championship, which will be held on February 16-17, 2018.