UAE national team leaves for Asian jiu-jitsu championships in Almaty

ABU DHABI: The UAE’s national jiu-jitsu team has left for Almaty, Kazakhstan, where squad members will compete in the third Jiu-Jitsu Asian Youth Championships and the 10th Jiu-Jitsu Asian Championships.

The youth event will take place from July 13-16, followed by the second competition from July 17-19. The tournaments will bring together Asia’s leading national teams in one of the continent’s premier jiu-jitsu events.

The team heads into the championships on the back of an impressive track record at continental level, having topped the adult standings at the ninth edition in Amman. The campaign concluded with 22 medals, underlining the UAE’s position as one of Asia’s leading jiu-jitsu nations.

The Asian Championship is an important event for the team due to its high technical standards and the level of competition. It provides an opportunity to build on the UAE’s strong continental success while further preparing athletes for other upcoming international competitions.

The Adult squad includes Omar Ali Al-Suwaidi and Rashed Mohammed Al-Shehhi (56kg), Khaled Mohammed Al-Shehhi and Mohammed Al-Ketbi (62kg), Sultan Hassan and Omar Al-Fadhli (69kg), Mahdi Al-Awlaqi and Fahad Al-Hammadi (77kg), Saeed Al-Kubaisi and Faraj Al-Awlaqi (85kg), Amaar Al-Hosani (94kg), and Rashid Al-Himany and Hazza Farhan (+94kg).

The U-21 squad features Obaid Al-Ketbi and Abdulrahman Sayedna (56kg), Abdulrahman Ahmed Saleh Abdulhaq (62kg), Faisal Al-Wahedi and Ahmed Andeez (69kg), Abdullah Andeez and Abdulaziz Al-Akidi (77kg), Saif Al-Ameri and Majed Al-Shamsi (85kg), Theyab Al-Jneibi (94kg), and Abdulrahman Al-Najar (+94kg).

Mubarak Saleh Al-Menhali, the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation’s technical director, said participation in the 10th Asian