“From the Rug to the Stars: How Jiu-Jitsu Helped Emirati Astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi Reach New Heights”

On the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu Championship organized by the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Association, AJP, Mubadala Arena took on a new look entitled “From the Rug to the Stars” and painted on its walls a symbol of ambition and impossibility. In many stations around the world, it returned to its final tour to the capital, “Abu Dhabi”, where the impact of a champion was Jiu-jitsu and the Emirati astronaut, Sultan Al-Neyadi, was great for the attendees and players after he posted a video clip on his social media platforms, in which he wore the jujitsu uniform known as kimono, inside the International Space Station, and performed a number of jujitsu movements, considering this sport as an example to follow to reach the goal. Hopefully, you helped Sultan Al Neyadi, who holds a purple belt in Jiu-Jitsu, reach his full potential when he lived aboard the International Space Station.

And he asked the fans, through the clip, to share with him their favorite movements in jujitsu, so that he would show them to them in space later. “One of the first things I learned in jiu-jitsu was to control my breathing and stay calm, and that’s exactly what I did during the centrifugal experiment. Jiu-jitsu helped me overcome that,” he added in the video posted to his Instagram and Twitter pages.
In another photo published by Al Neyadi, who won the title of Abu Dhabi Grand Slam champion in Abu Dhabi in 2018, coinciding with the opening of the tournament, he was keen to greet his friends, the players who are preparing to participate in the tournament this year, and encourage them to compete on the same platform on which Sultan won the gold medal after four fights. Pointing out that his success in space and his ability to endure Jujitsu had a great reason for it.

This historic achievement is the pride of all Jiu-Jitsu practitioners around the world, especially the children and youth who were affected by the story of Sultan Al Neyadi. So excited to have a Jiu-Jitsu representative in space and this is a very important moment that has been recorded for generations.

When we asked the children participating in the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam tournament what they knew about Major Sultan Al Neyadi, one of the children expressed his admiration for him, and said: “I love jiu-jitsu very much and I want to become a champion like Sultan Al Neyadi. His story has affected my life and inspired me to work hard and achieve my dreams.” I am sure that jujitsu will help me to be strong and patient when I fulfill my dream of going into space.” This type of positive impact of jiu-jitsu tournaments and the achievements of its athletes on children and youth is an indication of the importance of sport and its impact on developing young people’s personalities and achieving their aspirations.