AJP Tour International Jiu-Jitsu Championship to begin from March 17

Mubadala Arena in Zayed Sports City will come alive once again when it hosts the AJP Tour Abu Dhabi International Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2023 competitions from March 17-19.

The competitions, which are open to clubs and academies from all over the world, will feature intense mat fights in the Kids, Youth, Amateurs, Professionals, and Masters divisions.

The three-day championship, jointly organised by the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation (UAEJJF) and Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Pro (AJP), is the second set of AJP competitions in the 2023 events season.

The first was the AJP No-Gi Abu Dhabi International Jiu-Jitsu Championship, which took place last month and was a huge success in terms of organisation, participation by professionals, and crowd turnout.

Youssef Abdullah Al Batran, a board member of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, said: “The AJP championships are a valuable component in the schedule of championship activities for the current sporting season and help to highlight a significant number of fresh talent aiming to build a successful professional career.”

“The increased registrations for events testify to the effectiveness of the UAEJJF’s initiatives to develop the sport, broaden the pool of participants, and strengthen Abu Dhabi’s position as the world’s capital for jiu-jitsu.

“We always strive to offer the perfect environment for our young athletes to engage with the greatest players from clubs and academies around the world, honing their skills and improving their readiness for major international competitions.”

Meanwhile, Tariq Al Bahri, General Manager of the AJP, said: “The AJP events in the UAE along with our 150 international championships are gaining greater support as they continue to improve the players’ skills, career growth, and offer rigorous competitions among the participants.

“These will have a significant impact on the UAE and the capital Abu Dhabi’s capability to solidify its status as the global sporting hub and a much-sought-after destination for champions from around the world.”

The competitions will feature boys and girls in Infant (Grey, Yellow, Orange) and Junior (Grey, Yellow, Orange, Green) divisions on Friday, March 17, the first day of the event, with the fights beginning at 4:00 pm.

On Saturday, the action will continue with bouts beginning at 11:00 am for the boys and girls in Teen and Youth (Blue, Purple), Men’s Master 1 (Blue, Purple, Brown, Black) and Master 2 (Blue, Purple, Brown, Black) divisions. Men and Women contestants will compete in amateur (blue) and professional (purple, brown, and black) divisions on Sunday with the action starting at 11 am.

Meanwhile, the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation (UAEJJF), the governing body for the sport in the UAE, has participated in the 60th edition of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair which ran in Bologna, Italy from March 6-9, 2023.

Noted Emirati writer and author of Hosn Al Emarat series Noura Al Shemari, who serves as a legal advisor to the Federation, was among the speakers at the prestigious event.

Al Shemari, who was the only Emirati writer to participate in event, addressed the ninth Abu Dhabi Translation Conference, which was held as part of the Children’s Book Fair and was organised by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), a division of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi).

Al Shemari complimented the ALC during her address at the conference for its excellent efforts at supporting the nation’s talents, especially for its initiatives to highlight the accomplishments of Emirati women in the field of children’s literature.

“I entered the field of children’s books by depicting jiu-jitsu, a popular sport in my country which is followed by more than 120,000 youngsters,” he said.

“Hosn Al Emarat attempts to teach readers about the jiu-jitsu sport while also imparting human values and customs in a fascinating and distinctive way,” she said.

The eight-part series Hosn Al Emarat (The Fortress of Emirates), was released by the UAEJJF in 2021 and was later included in the UAE’s school curriculum.