'May the spirit of Jiu-Jitsu guide you': UAE astronaut wishes Grand Slam participants luck from space

Participants at the ongoing Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour 2022-2023 got a big shoutout from space.

Emirati astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi, who is now in the third month of his space mission, sent a beautiful message to Jiu-Jitsu athletes from International Space Station (ISS).

AlNeyadi took to Twitter on Friday to show his photo from the orbiting ISS, proudly wearing the black commemorative tournament t-shirt.

He wrote the caption: “I took this picture a few weeks ago in anticipation of the finale of #AbuDhabiGrandSlam, which begins today.

“Best of luck to all the participants! I wish I was there with you. May the spirit of Jiu-Jitsu guide you as it has guided me.”

Al Neyadi had also shared a six-minute video of him floating in microgravity in blue kimono –making him the first person to practise jiu-jitsu in space.

In the video, he bows and greets ‘Oss!’ (an enunciation uttered by Jiu-Jitsu athletes as a show of respect, commitment and trust).

“Discipline, focus, and adaptability I gained from Jiu Jitsu have been invaluable to me on the ISS. Even in microgravity, the moves and postures I learned on Earth serve me well up here,” said AlNeyadi, a great Jiu-Jitsu enthusiast who has been practising the sport for almost a decade.

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