The Jiu-Jitsu Championship, one of the highlights of the 10th NAS Sports Tournament, will take place on Friday at the Nas Al Sheba Sports Complex.
Organized by the Dubai Sports Council under the theme ‘Limitless Abilities’, the NAS Sports Tournament has been one of the top sporting attractions during the Holy Month of Ramadan since 2013.
The 10th edition will feature competitions in eight sports disciplines, including volleyball, padel tennis, Jiu-Jitsu, archery, fencing, wheelchair basketball, running, and cycling.
The championship, organized by the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation in collaboration with the Dubai Sports Council, is part of the NAS Sports Tournament, a multi-sports festival that takes place every year during Ramadan.
The one-day jiu-jitsu event will feature athletes from various clubs and academies battling in juvenile, adult, and masters’ divisions across both men’s and women’s categories.
The NAS Sports Jiu-Jitsu Tournament 2023 will feature fights in five categories, including Men’s Juvenile (Blue & Purple), Adult (Blue & Purple, Brown & Black), and Master (Blue & Purple, Brown & Black) divisions. Women athletes can participate in Adult (Blue & Purple, Brown & Black) and Junior (Blue & Purple) divisions.
Fahad Ali Al Shamsi, Secretary-General of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, said: 'The NAS Sports Tournament is gaining more importance every year. It is one of the most prominent competitions organised during the holy month and draws participants from all walks of life who want to keep active and in shape.'
'As the registrations were closed last week, we have observed that, as usual, there is a high demand for participation in the competition, especially given that the event provides players with an excellent opportunity to hone their skills, as it brings together a group of world-class professional players,' he added.
Jiu-jitsu in the UAE has evolved to become the country’s national sport, with a host of national, regional, and international events being held in the country.
Abu Dhabi has continuously rolled out its mats, hosting events such as the Jiu-Jitsu World Championships, the Asian Championships, and the ADWPJJC, where various Emirati male and female champions have successfully represented their country and won various medals. Multiple domestic championships and training programmes have also contributed to this growth.
Meanwhile, the padel competition, beginning Thursday night kick-starts the tournament. The padel matches will continue until April 9.
Hosts UAE, who won the inaugural Gulf Padel Cup last year, are among the strong contenders for the NAS International Padel Competition.
Besides the UAE, Egypt, Qatar, Iran, Japan, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia are other teams in the fray.
Padel continues to gain major traction in the country, with scores of new world-class facilities enhancing grassroots adoption and interest in the sport.
An archery competition will take place on March 26–27 at the main hall of the Nad Al-Sheba Sports Complex.
The fencing competition is scheduled for March 28–29, and the cycling competition will take place on March 30–31 at Meydan Road and various locations in Mohammed Bin Rashid City.
The volleyball competition will begin on April 1. A wheelchair basketball competition will take place from April 1 to April 9 at the Dubai Club for People of Determination.
The NAS Sports Tournament reflects the priority Dubai places on promoting community engagement and building strong social bonds through sports.
Dubai Sports Council’s efforts enabled more than 5,000 amateur and professional athletes to participate in the ninth edition of the NAS Sports Tournament.
The large attendance of sports lovers and their strong engagement with the players helped foster high levels of competition.
The NAS Sports Tournament has grown every year to become one of the most important community sports initiatives while embracing the many different segments of the UAE's diverse society.
The multi-discipline tournament has seen more than 39,000 male and female athletes, representing different countries, take part over the past nine editions, which featured amateurs and international legends including Zinedine Zidane and Falcao.