Friday, October 27, 2023 – 10:56 AM
ABU DHABI, 27th October / WAM / Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Ruler of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the World Kata Championship will begin tomorrow at the “Sorbonne University” hall in Abu Dhabi, with the participation of 288 male and female players representing 35 countries, including 3 Arab teams: UAE, Saudi Arabia and Algeria.
The tournament will be held for the first time in the UAE for two days, as part of the activities of the three major world championships organized by the Judo Federation, under the supervision of the International Judo Federation and with the support of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council.
Kata competitions include 5 types of competitions: “Shotokan, Shotoryu, Wadoryu, Gogoryo, and Kyokushinkai,” for a number of martial arts movements that are practiced individually, and each team participates with a male and female player in the championship weights, in addition to a mixed team.
The UAE national team is present for the first time at the youngest ages in the tournament, in the U-23 and U-17 youth categories, with the aim of interacting and gaining experience.
The two players, Muhammad Al-Shaali and Ali Abdul Salam Al-Marri, participate in the team’s roster, under the supervision of the technical staff consisting of Dr. Salam Khattab, coach Ashraf Hussein, and the administrative director of the team, international referee Ahmed Suleiman Al-Balushi, a member of the Judo Federation’s Board of Directors.
His Excellency Mohammed bin Thaloub Al-Darai, President of the Judo Federation and Chairman of the Supreme Organizing Committee, welcomed the brotherly and friendly countries participating in the tournament, wishing them success and excellence, and looking forward to hosting major tournaments in cooperation and coordination with the International Judo Federation.
In a related context, the International Judo Federation and the delegations of the participating countries praised the organizational and technical success achieved by the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Championship, which witnessed the Italian team winning the title, thanks to 3 gold medals won by the women’s team in the weights “under 48, 52, and 78 kg.” While Canada achieved second place after the women’s team won two golds in the weight category (under 57 and 63 kg), France came third with one gold, the UAE team came in first place in the Arab world and 19th internationally, and the Georgia team (the defending champion) came in sixth place.
Imad Al-Ali/Sami Abdel Azim
2023-10-27 07:00:32
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