Twenty-two athletes will represent the UAE in the adult competition at the 2026 Jiu-Jitsu World Championship, which begins at Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
The adult and para divisions run from August 6 to 9. They are part of the nine-day championship programme featuring more than 1,500 athletes from around the world.
The adult squad, a 114-athlete UAE delegation are competing across the under-14, under-16, under-18, under-21 and senior categories.
Among the senior athletes are Khaled Al-Shehhi, Omar Al-Suwaidi, Mahdi Al-Awlaqi, Rashid Al-Himany, Asma Al-Hosani and Shamma Al-Kalbani.
Several enter the championship with recent success behind them.
Al-Shehhi won the men’s under-62kg title at the Asian Championship in Almaty last month. Al-Hosani took gold in the women’s under-52kg category.
The UAE finished the event with 55 medals across four age groups, including 20 gold, 15 silver and 20 bronze. The adult team retained its Asian title with five gold medals, six silver and four bronze.
The Asian Championship results provided the squad with its final major test before competing at home.
“The Asian title gives us great confidence and increases our responsibility ahead of the World Championship in Abu Dhabi,” Al-Shehhi said.
Al-Awlaqi will compete in the men’s 77kg division. He said previous results would count for little once the competition began.
“Every championship is a new challenge, and every contest demands complete effort and focus,” he said.
The UAE enters the senior competition seeking a seventh consecutive overall world team title.
The team secured its sixth straight crown at the 2025 championship in Bangkok, winning 10 medals. That return included six gold, two silver and two bronze medals.
Al-Shehhi was among the winners in Thailand, taking the men’s 62kg title. The national team’s previous World Championship campaign also included medals across the men’s and women’s divisions.
The official adult and para schedule runs until Sunday, when the final medals and team standings will be decided.
