The UAE jiu-jitsu national team will compete at the Paris Open Grand Prix from April 24 to 26, with a squad of men and women selected across a range of weight classes.
The event begins with official weigh-ins on Friday, before preliminary and semi-final bouts on Saturday. Finals are scheduled for Sunday.
The UAE squad heads to Paris after a training camp built around technical work, tactics, fitness and match preparation.
The men’s line-up includes Rashed Mohammed Alshehhi and Abdulrahman Sayedna Sayed Mohammed at 56kg, Abdulrahman Abdulhak at 62kg, Ahmad Khalifa Andeez and Faisal Alwahedi at 69kg, Saeed Humaid Alkaabi at 85kg, Amaar Alhosani and Abdulla Ahmed Al Kaabi at 94kg, and Rashid Alhimany in the over-94kg division.
The women’s team includes Mariam Al Ali at 45kg, Balqees Abdulkarim and Alanoud Ibrahim Abdulla Alharbi at 48kg, and Meera Hasan Ali Hasan Alhosani at 52kg.
Mubarak Saleh Al Menhali, technical director at the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, said the tournament is a useful test for a squad that continues to compete regularly at a high level.
“We work on simulating different match scenarios, with a focus on small details that make the difference in closely contested bouts.”
He said the event gives the team a chance to measure progress against leading international opponents and assess how ready the athletes are in a strong field.
Al Menhali also said the federation’s decision to manage this trip while another squad prepares for the Asian Beach Games in China shows the depth of its programme and the progress of its wider system.
National team coach Ibrahim Al Hosani said the current training block has focused on the details that often decide close contests.
That includes managing the tempo of matches, dealing with different scenarios and building each athlete’s plan around the demands of their weight class.
