Fourth Challenge Jiu-Jitsu Championship set to take place at Jiu-Jitsu Arena on Saturday

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The fourth Challenge Jiu-Jitsu Championship, organised by the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, will take place at Jiu-Jitsu Arena in Zayed Sports City on October 15 and 16, featuring competitions for athletes between the ages of 4 and 15.

Hundreds of competitors from various clubs and academies will take to the mats over the course of two days to show off their Jiu-Jitsu prowess and win attractive prizes.

Open to all nationalities and skill levels, the competitions will see participants competing in the Kids, Infant, Junior, and Teen divisions.

The Challenge Jiu-Jitsu Championship is one of most significant events organised by the Federation this season as it helps discover and promote young athletes who will become the backbone of jiu-jitsu in the UAE in future.

Parents were keen to ensure their children’s attendance at the championship’s previous three editions, which witnessed an unprecedented turnout of participants, given the events will help the youngsters progress towards a bright career in sports.

Fahad Ali Al Shamsi, Secretary-General of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, said: “The UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation continues to plan competitions and events that are focused on the young talents in accordance with its ambitious strategy of investing in the next generation, developing their talents and shaping future jiu-jitsu champions."

“The Challenge Championship helps to achieve many goals, the most significant of which is raising public awareness about jiu-jitsu and attracting a new group of young people interested in beginning their professional sports careers soon,” he added.

According to Al Shamsi, the Federation's vision for developing and implementing initiatives that support promoting the spread of the sports, expanding the base of practitioners, and emphasising the children's category has been a success. “This is evidenced by the growing demand for participation in Challenge Competition,” he said.

The competition is set to begin on Saturday with competitions for the Kids 1, Kids 2, Kids 3, and Infant divisions, followed on Sunday by competitions for the Junior and Teen divisions.