UAE top medals table on day 1 of AJP Tour Asia Continental Pro in Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI: The AJP Tour Asia Continental Pro championship kicked off on Saturday at Abu Dhabi’s Jiu-Jitsu Arena in Zayed Sports City with the UAE taking home the most medals.

The tournament is being organized by the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Pro.

Saturday’s competitions, which saw grapplers take part in the teens, youth, and masters’ divisions, ended with Commando Group taking first place, Palms Sports — Team 777 coming second, and Al-Ain Jiu-Jitsu Club securing third place. In terms of country rankings, Colombia and Brazil took second and third places, respectively, behind the UAE.

Abdel Moneim Al-Hashemi, chairman of the UAEJJF, president of the Asian Jiu-Jitsu Union, and senior vice president of the International Jiu-Jitsu Federation, praised the winners at a ceremony held following the action.

Youssef Al-Batran, board member of the UAEJJF, said: “The championship’s remarkable success reflects the joint efforts of the UAEJJF and AJP which have attracted hundreds of jiu-jitsu professionals from more than 50 nations to the UAE capital and produced an excellent competition atmosphere.

“Events like these strengthen Abu Dhabi’s status as the world’s jiu-jitsu capital,” he added.

The athletes from Brazilian academies in particular put on outstanding performances on Saturday. Among them was Jorge Pereira, a black-belt holder from the Brazilian JSBJJ Academy, who competed in the 77-kilogram masters’ category and scooped gold.

He said: “We hold the AJP championships in great regard since they help us advance our careers and raise our rankings. I have been constantly participating in AJP tournaments all over the world.

“I came to Abu Dhabi from Brazil not only to compete for