Impressive performance by Emirati Jiu-Jitsu champions

Participants compete during the second Mother of the Nation Women Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

The Second Mother of the Nation Women Jiu-Jitsu Championship concluded on Friday.
The Championship was held under the patronage of Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood.
Held at IPIC Arena in Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi, the championship witnessed the participation of Emirati athletes from all over the UAE.
UAEJJF Board Member Sameera Al Romaithi said: "We are greatly honoured with the sponsorship of Sheikha Fatima and for making this such a prestigious event. We are thankful to our wise leadership for their continuous support of women's sports, which demostrates the importance given to raising strong female athletes in the UAE. We have seen an impressive number of participants today and it keeps growing compared to previous championships."
She added: "The levels of fights that took place today were beyond amazing, where the fighters are using techniques that are truly of high standard," Al Romaithi added. She emphasised that the more of such events are held, the more women will feel encouraged to take part in sports."
The participating athletes gave an extraordinary performance reflecting the experience that they gained since the launch of the first version of the Championship last season. The performance of the athletes was also greatly improved due to their participation in recent international championships in the current Jiu-Jitsu season, including the second Asian Championship in Vietnam and the 5th Asian Championship in Turkmenistan.
Zahra Al Hashmi from Al Forsan Club, gold medal winner, 49 KG category said: "it is a great honour to win this significant championship, and I am happy I have made my trainers proud. The tremendous support from Sheikha Fatima to female Jiu-Jitsu players is clearly helping us develop our skills and compete stronger."
The event saw a huge public turnout by ladies who came to cheer on the athletes, which reflects the strong presence of Jiu-Jitsu in society and among women.
Rashed Al Harmoodi, head of corporate external relations at Mubadala Investment Company, added: "We are delighted to serve as the official partner of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation and to support the UAE Junior team in the World Championship 2017.
"Through our programmes and partnerships, Mubadala is committed to finding ways for members of our community to stay active and keep fit.  We're excited to see the results of this year's competition in Ajman, demonstrating the enthusiasm and interest in further developing this sport across all Emirates."