Jiu-Jitsu Presidents Cup Preliminaries kick off in Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI: The Ju-Jitsu Presidents Cup 2023 got off to a high-profile start on Friday at the Mubadala Arena in Zayed Sports City with preliminary rounds in the under-14 and under-16 categories. The event was a colorful one, with sportsmen and women from various clubs and academies in the UAE showcasing their skills and talents.

It was a day full of thrilling matches, with Al Ain and Sharjah Self Defense Sports Club securing places in the boys’ Under 14 final, while Baniyas and Sharjah Self Defense reached the girls’ final. In the under-16 category, Al Ain and Al Wahda clubs secured their places in the boys’ final, while Baniyas and Al Jazira qualified for the girls’ final.

Mohammed Salem Al Dhaheri, Vice-President of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, praised the performance, skill level and level of ability of the players, saying: “The brilliance of the boys and girls on the mat reflects the efforts of clubs and clubs. The programs developed by the academy can improve Their level of readiness and ability, qualifies them to play and prepares them optimally for the national team.”

He added: “The championship grows every year and brings us a new crop of talent that will maintain the achievements of the past few years in UAE jiu-jitsu. There is no doubt that the addition of an under-14 category will add to the competition.” There is so much more to come, especially as they represent the future and the next generation of champions.”

Obaid Al Kaabi, member of the Board of Directors of Baniyas Sports Company, expressed his excitement over the past achievements of the Baniyas Club, saying that “Banias Club has been able to carve its name in the records of this precious competition and has been the champion. title. The senior title for the fourth consecutive year. The team has other notable achievements in the girls’ category at different ages.” He added that they began preparing for the competition weeks ago with the aim of achieving Keep the title of champion in all categories.

Abdul Aziz Al Hammadi, Director of Athletic Training at the Sharjah Self-Defense Sports Club, praised the excellent organization of the competition and highlighted the club’s message of raising awareness of the sport among the broadest sectors of society. He pointed out that the Sharjah club started preparing for the competition two months ago through a series of internal and external training camps and tournaments.

Obaid Saeed Alketbi, U16-55kg competitor from Al Ain Jiu-Jitsu Club said: “It is the pride of all the players to participate in the Jiu-Jitsu Presidents Cup as it is a name that is dear to our heart and inspires us to do our best to enter The final rounds. Our team today is determined to keep the title won by the youth team last year, the start was very promising, we managed to tackle the first set of battles which were not without difficulty, and we will continue to maintain the team spirit until the crowning. “

Alyazia Alhammadi, a U16-45kg competitor from Al Wahda Club Jiu-Jitsu Academy, expressed her gratitude to the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation for organizing the competition, saying, “We started our preparations at the Al-Wahda Club a full month ago. Appeared in an honorable way befitting the name of a club that has been on the podium. We were able to win the first game, we fought a lot of tough confrontations and our most important weapon is focus and teamwork to move towards one goal , that is to win the championship.”