Rio de Janeiro – Yesterday, the international player Faisal AL Ketbi and his colleague Mohamed Al Qubaisi joined our Jiu-Jitsu team’s mission to the Brazilian capital Rio de Janeiro. Our national team players are now complete and ready for the third leg of Abu Dhabi Grand Slam tournaments. The total number of our players is 13 players, namely Saif Al Qubaisi, Yahya Mansour Al Hammadi, Faisal Al Ketbi, Mohamed Al Qubaisi, Zayed Al Mansouri, Ibrahim Al Naqbi, Saeed Ali Al Shamsi, Mohamed Faraj Al Hamli, Hamdan Ahmed Al Housni, Nasser Omar Al Buraiki, Zayed Omar Al Buraiki, Abdullah Omar Al Ali and Fahad Ayedh.
Our team players are taking their daily training on two shifts at Alliance Jiu-Jitsu Academy under the supervision of trainers Henrique Silva and Rodrigo Ribeiro in preparation for the toughest Abu Dhabi Grand Slam competitions in a world stronghold of the game on 5-6 December 2015. Till yesterday, the number of world champions who registered to take part in the event has almost hit 900 male and female players from 25 counties, in different weight and belt categories.
Commenting on the launch of the third leg of the tournament, His Excellency Abdulmunam Al Hashemi, Chairman of the UAE Jiu-jitsu Federation said, “This third leg is the latest chapter in Abu Dhabi Grand Slam’s exciting story. It also promotes the grand status of the UAEJJF as one of the top sports institutions in organizing international sport tournaments and in sponsoring the game. Grand Slam tournaments play a vital role in giving the world a taste of Abu Dhabi’s great potential to be a future world capital for Jiu-jitsu”.
“The new leg will kickstart within days and will be a fantastic opportunity for players of all levels to express their passion about this great sport and give their best performance, offering up incredible displays in a series of nail-biting fights. Rio is the perfect place to stage such a high-profile tournament and Jiu-jitsu enthusiasts will certainly not be left disappointed as the event will be a stunning, action-packed affair,” he added.
On a different note, Fahad Ali Al Shamsi, Board member and Chief executive of the UAE Federation; and Tariq Al Bahri, Director of Abu Dhabi Grand Slam tournaments, arrived in Rio de Janeiro the day before. Yesterday, they both visited the HSBC ARENA on which the third leg will take place. They also held long meetings with organizing partners in Brazil, accompanied by Mário Sperry, Director of the Brazilian Federation of Jiu-Jitsu, to follow up on the latest preparations and arrangements for the kick-start of the third leg. Fahad Ali Al Shamsi expressed his delight at choosing one of the best venues in Brazil to host the competitions, as it can accommodate 25,000 spectators and is one of the arenas selected to host a number of competitions in the next Olympic tour, Rio de Janeiro 2016. Al Shamsi said it was a new experience and a big leap for all those working at the Jiu-Jitsu Federation, as it is the largest and most spacious in terms of capacity, let alone it’s fully equipped for the event to appear in the best way.
Regarding the size of participation in the tournament, Fahd Ali said: “The third leg of Abu Dhabi Grand Slam will be the jewel in the crown of all tours, based on our expectations of the first season of our tournament. The number will hit 1,000 male and female players– possibly more as registration is still open. The next few hours will probably have more players coming to register to participate in the event. In comparison with the number of participants in the first tournament in Tokyo, 360 male and female players; in the second tournament at Los Angeles, 420 male and female players; and what we expect for the fourth one to be held in London in March next year, this Rio tour will be the largest in terms of the number of participants and the most exciting in terms of competing, as we expect the number of black-belt players to exceed 160.
On his part, Mário Sperry, Director of Brazilian Federation of Jiu-Jitsu, said: “I’ve been working all my life in the Jiu-Jitsu game, as I learnt it when I was 5 years old and I’m approaching 50 now. It was a dream for me to hold the Jiu-Jitsu competitions on that largest and most important arena in Brazil, HSBC, since its inception but it never worked out. However, with the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam tours, the dream has come true to have the Jiu-jitsu tournament organized in this great place. So I’d like to thank Abu Dhabi and the UAEJJF for making my dream come true.”
Sperry also said: “Everyone knows Brazil is the World’s Jiu-Jitsu home. We have the largest number of registered players, more than 100,000 players, of whom 10,000 are black-belt holders. We have an integrated plan for publicity and promotion for the event to grab the attention of all mass media. Our slogan for the campaign is “Abu Dhabi Grand Slam for All.” I have full confidence that this tour will deliver on its promises.”
“I visited Abu Dhabi many times in 1998 and I consider myself to be a witness on the development of the sport in Abu Dhabi. Frankly, the Abu Dhabi project is the best and highest quality in the world. The school Jiu-Jitsu program is a dream I yearned for in Brazil for 50 years but came true only in Abu Dhabi. I think if this game maintains its momentum in the same way it has done in the last 5 years, it will earn the UAE the top international rating.”
On whether he was planning to use the Rio Olympics to present the wish of all Jiu-Jitsu lovers of having it join the Olympics, he said: “Indeed, we’re planning to do so. From my side, I consider the UAE an important partner in this venture, so I will discuss the details of our plan with the UAEJJF’s officials, being now the most active federation in the world, as it is leading the game in Asia. Then, we’ll come up with a proposal to submit to the International Olympic Committee during their stay in Rio in 2016.”
