His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has honoured the winners of the Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Awards 2023 following the conclusion of the 15th Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship. The event, which was held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, took place at the Mubadala Arena, and attracted 7,000 athletes from 127 countries over ten days.
His Highness congratulated the winners of the Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Championship and highlighted the event’s role in promoting jiu-jitsu and helping athletes excel on the global stage. His Highness also highlighted Abu Dhabi’s status as the global capital for jiu-jitsu and praised the emirate’s successful talent programmes, which are developing a new generation of young talent to represent their country in international events.
The ceremony, hosted by the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation at the Mubadala Arena, honoured winners in 20 categories, including best performing juniors, amateurs, professionals, and masters, along with local, regional and international clubs and academies, in recognition of their role in promoting jiu-jitsu and training young athletes.
The Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Awards celebrates outstanding performances by athletes at local, regional and international levels. The winners of this edition were selected from more than 50,000 male and female athletes, across 300 tournaments around the world. The tournaments were organised by the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Pro (AJP), as part of the organisation’s efforts to enhance excellence within the sport and establish the emirate as the global hub of jiu-jitsu.
The ceremony was also attended by His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa bin Sultan Al Nahyan, His Excellency Abdul Moneim Al Hashemi, Chairman of the UAEJJF, President of the Jiu-Jitsu Asian Union and Senior Vice President of the Jiu-Jitsu International Federation; His Excellency Mohammed Salem Al Dhaheri, Vice Chairman, UAEJJF; Fahad Ali Al Shamsi, Secretary General, UAEJJF; Tariq Al-Bahri, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Pro; and UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi. Representatives from various national embassies in the UAE, as well as partners and sponsors of the UAEJJF, also attended.