Arab News | 18th Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship gets ready to receive 12,000 athletes

ABU DHABI: Preparations for the 18th Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship are gathering pace, with the organizing committee outlining plans to accommodate almost 12,000 international athletes and global media, while advancing preparations for the opening ceremony.

The championship will take place at Mubadala Arena, Abu Dhabi, from Nov. 9 to 21.

The plans were discussed during a meeting chaired by Mohamed Salem Al-Dhaheri, vice chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts Federation, and chairman of the organizing committee.

Al-Dhaheri said: “Our focus now is on accommodating the increasing number of  athletes and academies from around the world and working closely with our partners to expand the international reach of the 18th edition.

“The Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship has grown year after year and become one of the biggest events for leading athletes and academies.

“We want to continue delivering the championship to the highest standards, in line with Abu Dhabi’s position reputation as a global destination for jiu-jitsu.”

The meeting was attended by Mohamed Hussain Al-Marzooqi, federation board member and vice chairman of the organizing committee, and Fahad Ali Al-Shamsi, secretary-general of the federation.

Also present were Fouad Fahmi Darwish, CEO of Palms Sports, Tareq Al-Bahri, general manager of the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Pro, and Abdullah Salem Al Zaabi, director of marketing and corporate communications at the federation and championship director.

The committee discussed ways to increase local participation across the championship’s different categories.

Plans to expand the championship’s international media reach were also reviewed, including closer coordination with partners, outreach to international combats sports media and working with selected influencers.

Al-Marzooqi added: “The meeting set clear priorities for the next stage of preparations.

“We will closely monitor registration numbers and identify categories that can include more athletes, while focusing on key regions from which we expect greater participation.

“We will also expand media access to welcome more international media and reach a wider jiu-jitsu audience around the world.”

He added: “We are also working to elevate the opening ceremony experience by using new technology in different parts of the program.

“At the same time, we will welcome more members of international media across different channels. Our focus now is on putting these plans into action, following their progress and measuring the results.”

The 18th edition continues to attract registrations from around the world, with around 12,000 athletes expected to take part this year.