Sri Lanka in spotlight as they host inaugural Asian Beach Jiu-Jitsu Championship

Three years have passed since the Jiu-Jitsu Federation Sri Lanka (JJFSL) was established and the country is now hosting the first international competition. Amith Passela reports from Negambo, Sri Lanka.

NEGOMBO // Three years have passed since the Jiu-Jitsu Federation Sri Lanka (JJFSL) was established and the country is now hosting the first international competition.

The island nation is playing host to the inaugural Asian Beach Jiu-Jitsu Championship, which is a dress rehearsal for the Fifth Asian Beach Games in Danang, Vietnam, from September 24 to October 3.

The host nation has 52 entries in the eight weight and absolute divisions for men and in the five events for Friday and Saturday at the Jetwing Sea Hotel beach.

They also have entries in the Duo and Duo Mix (a martial arts show system) and in the No-Gi (without the traditional kimono) on the third and final day of the championship on Sunday.

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Almost all the competitors from the host nation have made the transition from judo and wrestling, and they bagged six bronze medals in the South Asian Championship, their first international competition, in Bangaluru, India, last year.

“We are very fortunate to host this inaugural championship in Sri Lanka being one of the newest federations,” said Kithsiri De Zoysa, the founder president of the JJFSL.

“The location is a popular tourist spot and we expect this event to generate a lot of interest among the visitors as well as among the local crowd.”

According to Dr Jaffer Al Muthafer, secretary general of the Asian Jiu-Jitsu Union (JJAU) and director of international relations for the Olympic Council of Asia, the idea is to create new audiences.

“We are always looking to bring in new audiences for this sport,” he said. “Sri Lanka is a popular tourist destination and its beaches are world renowned. The weather is similar to Vietnam.

“The country is also strategically located and above all the visa processing is easier for all participating countries.”

Joachim Thumfart, sports director of the JJAU and a member of the Jiu-Jitsu International Federation, said the championship is the exact same programme as in Vietnam.

“The No-Gi competition serves as an experiment for the 2017 World Beach Games in San Diego in which the emphasis is to have beachwear in every sport,” he said.

The championship in Sri Lanka is the first of its kind after jiu-jitsu was included in the Fourth Asian Beach Games in Phuket in 2014.

The sport has been included in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and has also made its way into the Asian Indoor Games as well as the inaugural World Beach Games in San Diego in 2017.

“For a sport so new, jiu-jitsu has gone places,” said De Zoysa, who is also an executive committee member of the JJAU.

“In Sri Lanka, the transition has come from judo and wrestling. We conducted the first national championship last year after the competitions for novices and intermediate. Plans are also underway to stage a competition for the defence services and police.

“We are still in the development stage and quite a lot of plans to take the sport forward. We have begun with a training programme in the north of the country and then gradually take it to across the island.”

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