UAE send 13-strong team to Rio jiu-jitsu event

Emirati jiu-jitsu black belt holder Mohammed Al Qubaisi, top, and Faisal Al Ketbi lead a 13-strong team to the Grand Slam Rio de Janeiro, the penultimate leg of the Abu Dhabi World Tour. Jeffrey E BitShow more

Faisal Al Ketbi and Mohammed Al Qubaisi, the two Emirati black belts, lead a strong 13-member squad in the Grand Slam Rio de Janeiro, the third and penultimate leg of the Jiu-Jitsu Abu Dhabi World Tour.

The two-day event that kicks off today at the 25,000-seat HSBC Arena has drawn more than 1,000 entries from 25 countries.

The team have been training twice-a-day under the Brazilian coaches Henrique Silva and Rodrigo Ribeiro.

“The competitions are always tough, not necessarily in Brazil, but all over the world,” said Al Ketbi, who joined the squad in Brazil a few days ago.

“Win or not, it will be good experience for all of us. The black belt divisions are quite tough, but I think some of those in the lower categories have excellent chances of reaching the medal rounds.”

The Grand Slam was established this year as the brainchild of the UAEJJF and its chairman Abdulmunam Al Hashmi emphasised it as a “success story” of the institution to promote the sport worldwide.

“The Grand Slam events play a vital role by providing the world a taste of Abu Dhabi’s potential to become the future of the world capital in jiu-jitsu,” he said.

“The third leg of the world tour will be a fantastic opportunity for the players of all levels to express their passion for the sport and give their best performance.

“And Rio is the perfect place for such a high-profile competition.”

Fahad Ali Al Shamsi, chief executive of the UAEJJF, expressed the third leg in Rio as the “jewel in the crown” of the world tour.

“This is the biggest in terms of numbers and the quality of the field with around 160 black belts,” Al Shamsi said.

“The first leg in Tokyo drew 360, the next in Los Angeles had 420 and we expect Rio to cross 1,000 with the registration still open.”

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