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The Countdown Is On To The Ninth Annual Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2017 |
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The final countdown is on to the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and taking place from 10th to 23rd April at IPIC Arena, Zayed Sports City. With just one week to go to launch of the world-class event, a slew of international players have arrived in the capital to battle it out on the mats for world titles. Athletes including Jose Junior, Tiago Bravo and Mackenzie Dern known as the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighters in the world will be a highlight of this year’s event. Today Jose Junior and Tiago Bravo appeared in front of local and international media, dignitaries, special guests and sponsors at a press conference alongside the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation and UAE Jiu-Jitsu National Team, to give a taste of the excitement to come. Additionally, the local heroes of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Team were unveiled today including; Yahya Alhamadi, Mohamed Alqubaisi, Dhahi Althumairi, Zayed Almansoori, Faisal Alkitbi, Taleb Alkirbi and Ibraheem Alhosani. The team who are fresh out of training, expressed their enthusiasm at representing their country on the world stage and their hopes for this year’s event. The Championship promises to be the most dynamic to date as the competition continues to grow 44% year-on-year. The 2017 edition will welcome over 7,000 international and local competitors from over 100 countries across youth, professional, Para-athletes and legends divisions, battling it out for a prize fund of up to AED 3million. Additionally, brand-new to this year’s event is key emphasis on social responsibility as part of the UAE’s ‘Year of Giving’, which will see an introduced Para-Jiu-Jitsu division open to players with physical disabilities and special needs. Additionally, there will be a number of community workshops and lectures each day around topics such as culture, nutrition as well as health and fitness. For the family there will be a breadth of activities in the largest ever IPIC Fan Zone, including sponsor activities, interactive stands, plus the annual raffle returns, giving the public a chance to win exciting prizes including two-brand new cars from Premier Motors that include Jaguar XE and Land Rover Discovery Sport. As part of the Fan Zone Etihad Airways will also be giving away 10 flight tickets away to Jiu-Jitsu supporters. Chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation and Jiu-Jitsu Asian Union and Senior Vice President of the Jiu-Jitsu International Federation H.E. Abdulmunem Al Sayed Mohammed AL Hashmi said at the press conference; “The UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation are delighted to welcome athletes from across the globe to the ninth Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship from 10th– 23rdApril. This edition is going to be the biggest and best yet, not only for the Federation itself but for players and spectators alike.” “Today we are here to celebrate the ongoing success of the Championship and a look ahead to the future. Our aim is to leave a lasting legacy for generations to come through the teachings of Jiu-Jitsu and the Championship. The Championship is not just for the players and fans of Jiu-Jitsu but is truly an event for the whole family with activities and workshops throughout the event.” The tournament will kick-off with the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Festival on Monday 10thApril and with a new extended 6-day program to Saturday 15thApril. The festival is an opportunity for members of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation and loyalty card-holders under the age of 18, plus white belts and those with disabilities and special needs, to compete in a world professional environment against their peers. The Abu Dhabi World Youth Jiu-Jitsu Championship takes place on 16th& 17thApril. This is where the next generation of professional players take their learnings including the fundamental values of Jiu-Jitsu and will compete in the state-of-the-art arena to add points to their 2016-2017 season. The professional Jiu-Jitsu contest will take place from Tuesday 18thto Saturday 22ndApril and will see head-to-head fights with international participants from USA, Brazil, Australia, Japan, Korea, Poland and more, for a gold, silver and bronze medals. One of the highlights at this year’s event is the ultimate clash of Jiu-Jitsu talent in the Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Legends competition on Saturday 22ndApril. Ten world-renowned contenders including Kenny Florian (USA), Wellington “Megaton” Dias (USA) and Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro (BRA) will show off their grapple and takedown skills across Bantamweight, Lightweight, Welterweight, Middleweight and Heavyweight divisions. Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Awards, to be held on Sunday, April 23rdat the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi. The awards ceremony will be a celebration of tournament winners and will recognise both players and entities for exceptional talent within the following categories for 2016/2017. |
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