
Baniyas emerge victorious in round 4 of Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship
For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport
The final day of action had competitions in the kids and under-12 divisions (Gi category), with final overall standings confirming Al-Jazira Jiu-Jitsu Club in second and Al-Ain Jiu-Jitsu Club taking third.
Mohamed Humaid Hamad Dalmouj Aldhaheri, board member of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, said the championship 'reflects the wise leadership's vision of empowering individuals.'
'The involvement of younger age groups demonstrates the success of our long-term development plans, providing a safe, competitive, and professional environment that nurtures talent and builds a solid foundation for future national champions,' he added.
'The leadership's continued support, including the directive of His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed to double the prize pool, inspires the entire jiu-jitsu community,' he said.
'This sport promotes physical fitness, mental resilience, and values like discipline and respect — key pillars for a strong society and a sustainable, world-leading nation.'
Hamad Nasseeb Al-Ahbabi, father of young athlete Matar Al-Ahbabi, said: 'Anyone who's seen my son's progress in jiu-jitsu understands how much this sport can transform young lives. This championship is about more than medals.
'It's about building character, values, and confidence. The generous prize initiative from His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed is a clear sign of how much the leadership cares about motivating and supporting the nation's youth.'
The next round is in August, as jiu-jitsu strengthens its position as one of the UAE's leading sports.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Arab News
3 days ago
- Arab News
UAE president, king of Bahrain discuss ties in Abu Dhabi
LONDON: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan visited King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa of Bahrain at his residence in Abu Dhabi on Thursday to discuss relations between the two countries. The two leaders discussed cooperation between Manama and Abu Dhabi, exploring ways to strengthen their ties in support of shared interests and aspirations for continued progress, development and prosperity, the Emirates News Agency reported. Several UAE officials attended the meeting, including Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, deputy chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Martyrs Families affairs, and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, deputy chairman of the Presidential Court for Special Affairs. The Bahraini side included Lt. Gen. Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, the national security adviser, Royal Guard commander and secretary general of the Supreme Defense Council of Bahrain, and Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, the first deputy chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports and president of the General Sports Authority of Bahrain.


Arab News
3 days ago
- Arab News
Rashid Khan's star continues to shine
Rashid Khan is a cricketing superstar who will play for the Oval Invincibles in The Hundred this summer. Before joining the team, he added brand ambassadorship to his cricketing prowess — on July 3 in Dubai, he was revealed as the face of leading real estate company, MH Developers. This exemplifies the opportunities for sponsorship and brand endorsement now available to top cricketers and is a far cry from some 70 years ago when the best they could hope for was their signature on the face of a bat. Khan's cricketing rise to prominence has been meteoric and has contributed to outstanding performances by the Afghan national men's team, which included reaching the 2024 T20 World Cup semi-final. This is even more remarkable given that the team is effectively in exile. At least it gets to play, unlike the women's team; most of those players fled the country in fear of their lives and many are now in Australia, desperate to play cricket. They have lobbied the International Cricket Council about their plight, but the ICC, along with much of the international cricketing community, has been tight-lipped about expressing support or making proposals to alleviate the situation. Their male counterparts have been more fortunate. A contributory factor has been the UAE, with Khan quick to recognize that it 'has been like a spiritual home for Afghan cricket for many years, providing a safe haven and platform amid the challenges back home.' Hence, the collaboration with MH Developers holds tremendous significance for him personally and professionally, having experienced an itinerant lifestyle shuttling between the eastern border of Afghanistan and Pakistan. In the early 2000s, Khan's family, which owned a tire business, left war-torn Afghanistan for Pakistan. Rashid was the sixth of 11 brothers and competed with them in tape-ball cricket — a tennis ball wrapped in electrical tape — which is played on concrete strips in corridors. In order to achieve greater zip off the surface, he developed his characteristic fast-arm action and ability to flip the ball out of his fingers to spin and flight his leg breaks sharply. This, coupled with his batting abilities, marked him out to experienced observers, including coaches at the Islamia College in Peshawar where he studied computer science until 2013. When the Afghan team toured Pakistan in 2014 he performed outstandingly in Peshawar. It was on Dec. 7, 2016, that he made his debut for Afghanistan against the England Lions in Abu Dhabi, taking 4 for 48 and 8 for 74, along with 25 not out and 52, a rich return for one so young. The path was set. Currently, Khan captains Afghanistan's T20 men's team. He has also captained the Test and One Day International teams. In March 2018, aged 19 years and 165 days, he became the youngest player to captain an international side. Then in September 2019, aged 20 years and 350 days, he became the youngest person to captain a Test match team, leading Afghanistan against Bangladesh. He also played in Afghanistan's first Test match against India in June 2018. Prior to that, in February 2018, he became the youngest player to top the ICC Player rankings for bowlers in ODIs. He immediately followed that by topping the ICC T20I bowler rankings, where he is currently number nine; he is also number five in the ODI bowler rankings and seventh in the ODI all-rounder rankings, having once been number one. Along the way, he became the fastest and youngest bowler to take 100 wickets in ODIs, needing only 44 matches; the previous record was 52. In June 2018, he reached 50 wickets in T20Is in two years and 220 days, the fastest bowler to achieve this feat. This was followed in October 2021 when he became the fastest bowler in terms of matches, his 53rd, to claim 100 wickets in T20Is. Currently he has taken 161 T20I wickets, the second highest number, and is likely to regain top place. It is therefore no surprise he has been in demand around the franchise circuit. His teams have included the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League, Adelaide Strikers in Australia's Big Bash League, MI New York in the USA's Major League Cricket, Quetta Gladiators and Lahore Qalanders in the Pakistan Super League, the Guyana Amazon Warriors and the Barbados Tridents, for whom he took the first hat-trick in the history of the Caribbean Premier League. Khan did play in the only edition so far of the Afghanistan Premier League, in 2018. This was for Kabul Zwanan, who were beaten by Balkh Legends in the final at Sharjah. Despite this, Rashid Khan was the player of the tournament. It is easy to forget that Khan is still only 26, having made his full international debut on Oct. 18, 2015, in an ODI match against Zimbabwe in the UAE. His T20I international debut followed a week later. He has crammed a lot of professional cricket into the past 10 years. Khan, who graciously gave a 'big thank you to Trent Rockets for the three seasons I spent at Trent Bridge,' says he is 'really excited to be joining Oval Invincibles and calling the Kia Oval my home this August. It's great to be joining the back-to-back champions; hopefully, I can contribute to more success this season.' The first match at the Oval will be on Aug. 9 against the Manchester Originals. Khan's move is also an indication of the reality of global franchises — he has played in New York for the Mumbai Indians, who now own 49 percent of the Invincibles. Khan's cricket career has been on a consistently upwards path. His brand ambassadorship coincides with a time when Dubai's real estate market is witnessing a significant upward trend. First-half 2025 figures show a 15 percent year-on-year increase in average property prices and a 20 percent surge in transaction volumes. MH Developers is looking to engage with a wider audience and strengthen their foothold in this thriving market. The global sporting reputation of Rashid Khan, the focus, commitment and talent identified by his first coaches, will be an integral part of this strategy. Rashid Khan's legacy in international cricket is already assured but there should be more chapters for him to write. After The Hundred, there is the prospect of the six-team Asia Cup. Since the recent hostilities between India and Pakistan, the tournament has been in doubt. There is now renewed optimism for it taking place, though the location is uncertain. It was originally due to be hosted by India. Under new arrangements, whenever it is India or Pakistan's turn to host the tournament, a neutral venue will be chosen. Afghanistan is a non-starter, which leaves Bangladesh, Sri Lanka — where the monsoon season is due — and the UAE. If the latter is chosen, there could be some instant returns on Rashid Khan's brand ambassadorship.


Arab News
4 days ago
- Arab News
India-Pakistan Asia Cup cricket clash likely on September 7 in UAE — report
ISLAMABAD: Arch-rivals India and Pakistan are likely to face each other in the upcoming Asia Cup cricket tournament on September 7 in the UAE, a report by an Indian publication said on Wednesday. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport According to a report in Indian publication 'Times of India,' the Asia Cup is likely to start on September 5 with the title clash taking place on September 21. It said that all participating nations, including official hosts India, are close to getting clearances from their respective governments for the tournament which is set to be played in the UAE. Already-soured relations between India and Pakistan further worsened after four days of intense fighting before a ceasefire was announced in May. Bilateral cricket has been suspended since 2013 between the Asian neighbors, who play each other only in multi-team events as per an International Cricket Council arrangement. 'The 17-day window has been almost finalized by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and India are set to take on Pakistan on September 7 as per the initial schedule,' a report by the Times of India said. The tournament is set to feature hosts India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and UAE, the report said, adding that it is set to follow the group stage and Super Fours format. This means fans will witness the India-Pakistan contest at least twice, and the second contest could take place on September 14, the report said. Uncertainty has clouded over the Asia Cup after the two countries were locked in conflict in May. Political tensions have always adversely affected cricket ties between the two countries. India refused to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy this year and played all their matches, including the March 9 final, in Dubai. India will host the women's 50-overs World Cup this year but Pakistan will play all their matches in Sri Lanka under an arrangement made by the International Cricket Council. India's head coach Gautam Gambhir is against playing Pakistan even in neutral venues but will follow whatever the BCCI decided, he said in May.