VIDEO: Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship set to return in November

The UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation (UAEJFF) has announced that the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship (ADWPJJC) 2020 will be held from Nov. 18-21 at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena in the UAE capital.

The 12th edition of the largest and most prestigious event on the global jiu-jitsu calendar was scheduled to run in April, however the outbreak of COVID-19 resulted in the postponement of live sport worldwide.

The UAEJFF pioneered a return to live competitive sport in the Middle East in May with a closed training camp and two competitions for the country’s elite athletes, and ADWPJCC 2020 has now been confirmed for its November showcase.

The championship will take place in adherence to stringent local and federal health and safety guidelines with the wellbeing of athletes, officials, and support staff being the top priority.

The Masters and Professional events will take place across the four-day showpiece event. The Masters (athletes over 30) will take to the mats on Nov. 18 with the Professional competition running from Nov. 19-21.

“Over the past three months, we have successfully organised several championships and training camps with the highest regard for safety of everyone involved, the entire jiu-jitsu community and wider society.

“We now have a tried and tested comprehensive set of protocols that ensures health and safety during a championship scenario. That experience gained will enable the Federation to stage a successful 12th edition of ADWPJJC,” said Mohammed Salem Al Dhaheri, Deputy Chairman of the UAEJJF and Head of the Higher Organising Committee of the championship.

“We have been overwhelmed by interest from the global jiu-jitsu community and staging ADWPJJC 2020 is another marker that contributes to underline Abu Dhabi’s position as the Jiu-Jitsu capital of the world. Persistence and a will to overcome challenges are in jiu-jitsu’s ethos and this championship demonstrates UAEJJF’s commitment to bring our beloved sport back in action.”

Meanwhile, the UAE’s leading male jiu-jitsu athletes have begun fine tuning their preparations for a busy end to 2020 during the second summer training camp, organised by UAEJJF.

The three-week camp, which runs until Aug.23 in collaboration with International Vision Investment Group (IVI) at the Armed Forces Club, is also providing a platform for aspiring young amateurs to pick up tips and advice from the country’s best fighters and guidance from the Federation’s leading coaches.

The UAE national team coaches are using the camp to assess the technical levels of their athletes ahead of a pursuit of glory on the global stage at the Asian Beach Games and Asian Indoor Games. Ramos Lemos, head coach of the UAE jiu-jitsu national team, said: “Many of our fighters have been training regularly since May and through this camp we can effectively measure their progress. The end of the year will be a busy time for the national team with a number of competitions and we are focusing on tailoring training schedules with an eye on the specific types of opponents that our fighters are expecting to face at the ADWPJJC 2020 and the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship.”

The camp has a healthy mix of more than 70 participants at varying stages of development in the sport and Lemos said the presence of seasoned fighters in the same group will greatly help young athletes just starting out in the sport. “This camp is a great opportunity for young players to observe and interact with some of the best fighters in the country. It can serve as inspiration for youngsters to share a mat with some of the UAE’s biggest heroes. This is a chance to discover stars of the future, but most importantly to instill a passion for the sport from a young age.”