UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation officials seen during a press conference.

The UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation (UAEJJF) signed a pioneering Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Special Olympics UAE to develop a strategic partnership to expand the continuous cooperation and coordination between Special Olympics UAE and various National sports federations.

The MoU’s goal is to elevate the level of technical and organizational performances in sports events in order to improve services provided to all athletes of determination in the country.

This MoU will be employed to facilitate, strengthen, and enrich sporting systems and environments surrounding people of determination across all concerned sports institutions. 

This landmark agreement was signed between the UAEJJF and Special Olympics UAE on the sidelines of the Ju-Jitsu World Championship hosted by UAEJJF at the Mubadala Arena on Monday.

The MoU’s signing comes at a pertinent time with Jiu-Jitsu’s steadily growing domestic and international profile and the fact that the Ju-Jitsu World Championship 2019 has a dedicated ‘para Jiu-Jitsu’ category which is expected to draw numerous participants.

As per the terms of the MoU, both parties – UAEJJF and Special Olympics UAE, will collaborate in the establishment of training centers for the sport of Jiu-Jitsu for people of determination throughout the Emirates.

The UAEJJF and Special Olympics UAE will deploy their collective expertise and resources in synchronized manner that ensures the formation of strong well-trained and capable Jiu-Jitsu National Teams. Special Olympics UAE will organize customized induction workshops and training courses for coaches, referees, and volunteers.

The UAEJJF will lend its technical competencies to organize and manage tournaments and events for people of determination.

Special Olympics UAE’s mission is to highlight the Special Olympics movement both at the national as well as the global level and celebrate the unique abilities of people of determination. This is in line with the Special Olympics UAE Strategy 2018-2021 that strives to establish a renewed vision of acceptance and inclusion for all through the medium of sport.

Talal Al Hashimi, Executive Director of Special Olympics UAE, said that the MoU is an excellent initiative to raise technical standards of Special Olympics UAE athletes and allow them to make use of UAEJJF’s excellent training resources.

“We have always looked to establish partnerships that aim to integrate people of determination in various sporting events, improve their sporting abilities, and provide the right resources for their development. This agreement with UAEJJF will allow us to jointly organize activities and programmes which will be very helpful to our athletes,” he said.

Fahad Ali Al Shamsi, CEO of the UAEJJF, said this MoU is a step in the right direction towards increased inclusion and promoting the popularity of Jiu-Jitsu amongst people of determination.

“UAEJJF has always been keen to cooperate with different sports federations in order to provide increased visibility to sport in general. We are looking forward to organizing Para Jiu-Jitsu competitions and this is an opportune moment to establish our partnership as the Ju-Jitsu World Championship will have a dedicated para Jiu-Jitsu competition which has generated a lot of interest and attracted global participation,” he said.