Wednesday, August 2, 2023 – 11:34 PM
The national team won 4 colored medals on the first day.
ABU DHABI, 2nd August, WAM, Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the activities of the fourth edition of the World Junior Mixed Martial Arts Championship kicked off today, Wednesday, at the Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi. Zayed Sports, and the opening day of the championship witnessed a group of strong matches amid a large audience.
The tournament will be held for 4 days, organized by the International Federation of Mixed Martial Arts, and hosted by the UAE Federation of Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts, with the participation of 636 male and female players representing 45 countries.
The championship competitions will continue tomorrow, Thursday, with category “B” competitions for the 14-15 years old age group.
Today’s competitions were attended by Brigadier General Mohammed bin Dalmouj Al Dhaheri, member of the Board of Directors of the UAE Federation for Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts, Chairman of the Mixed Martial Arts Committee, Kerith Brown, President of the International Federation of Mixed Martial Arts, Raymond Phillips, member of the Board of Directors of the International Federation of Mixed Martial Arts for Africa, and a number Representatives of the missions of the participating countries.
The opening day also witnessed competitions in category “C” for the age group 12-13 years, which brought together mixed martial arts athletes from all over the world.
The stars of our national team gave a strong performance and won 4 colored medals. Where Saif Al Balushi won the gold medal (weight 40 kg), Aisha Al Hammadi (weight 57 kg), Rakan Al Yamahi (weight 34 kg) won the silver medal, and Sarah Al Zarouni won the bronze weight of 40 kg.
His Excellency Brigadier General Mohammed bin Dalmouj Al Dhaheri extended his thanks and gratitude to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, “may God protect him,” for his unlimited support for sports and youth sports in the country. He also directed deep thanks and appreciation to His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his patronage. Honorable Mention.
He stressed the importance of the support provided by the wise leadership, pointing to its tireless efforts in nurturing young talents and promoting sports, and highlighted its pivotal role as a source of inspiration for young people to achieve their dreams and aspirations.
He said: “Hosting the tournament for the second year in a row enhances Abu Dhabi’s position as a global capital of martial arts sports, with superior capabilities to host international events according to the highest standards. The tournament provides a distinctive competitive environment that brings together the best young sports talents and promising stars from all over the world to display their skills.”
Al Dhaheri praised the strong performance of the national team stars who shone on the first day of the tournament and won 4 colored medals, including gold, stressing that this outstanding performance of the sons and daughters of the UAE makes us more optimistic that the medal tally will rise during the next three days in light of the team’s talent and technical capabilities. It enables them to achieve the desired goals in a way that befits the hopes pinned on this distinguished generation.”
Denzen White, Executive Director of the International Federation of Mixed Martial Arts, said: “We are pleased to host the championship in Abu Dhabi, and this event is the best proof of the UAE’s passion and commitment to developing and promoting the sport of mixed martial arts.”
He added, “The first day’s fights were full of skills and sportsmanship that distinguish these young athletes, as the tournament represents a strong start in their journey to become the stars of the game in the future, and I look forward with great enthusiasm to watching the next three days’ fights that will inspire the next generation of MMA champions.”
The player of our national team, Saif Al Balushi, presented the gold medal to the wise leadership for its unlimited support for its sons and daughters and for providing all the elements that qualify them to achieve achievements and climb the podiums.
He said: “I thank the technical and training staff who worked hard with us in recent weeks and helped us raise our capabilities to compete at the highest levels. I fought a number of strong fights, and succeeded in outperforming the Ukrainian and Tajik champions, and I think I am worthy of this achievement. Mixed martial arts is a distinguished sport. I recommend turnout.” and practice it for its many benefits.”
Aisha Al-Hammadi, the national team player for the 57 kg weight category, expressed her great happiness with the silver medal after defeating the players of Azerbaijan and India.
She added: “I was looking forward to the first place, but I achieved the second place and the silver medal, and I seek to benefit from this experience in the upcoming tournaments to achieve a better achievement, God willing.”
Al-Hammadi confirmed that she is fluent in jiu-jitsu, which helped her master mixed martial arts, explaining that Emirati girls have achieved great success in jiu-jitsu and can achieve success in mixed martial arts.
The coach of the Ukrainian national team participating in the tournament, Igor Onuprenko, described what he saw from the development of mixed martial arts in the UAE as amazing.
The coach of the Ukrainian national team, holder of the World Junior Martial Arts Championship title in the past two years 2021 and 2022, praised the great efforts made and the sponsorship of the UAE leadership for sports in general and combat sports in particular, indicating that the remarkable increase in the number of combat sports players in the Emirates and the development in their technical levels confirms the quality The work done by the state in sponsoring and supporting athletes.
He added, “We hope that we will be successful in winning the championship title for the third year in a row. We have worked hard and done everything necessary to return to the title. We are participating in the tournament with 69 players of all age groups. We are happy with the performance of our players on the opening day, and we hope that they will continue with the same strength until achieving the championship title.” .
Ahmed Al Botli / Ahmed Mustafa
2023-08-02 19:37:37
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