JJIF president says UAE jiu-jitsu team impressed at Asian Games in Nagoya
In short
The president of the Ju-Jitsu International Federation, Panagiotis Theodoropoulos, said the UAE national jiu-jitsu team showed a high level of technical performance, discipline and professionalism at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, with results he said reflected the country's position as a global hub for the sport. He said jiu-jitsu's inclusion in the Asian Games programme marked a milestone for the sport and that Asia, and the UAE in particular, had become a key driver of its global development. He also credited the growth of the Jiu-Jitsu Asian Union from 12 to more than 40 member federations since Abdulmunam Al Hashemi became its president in 2014.
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Ju-Jitsu International Federation president Panagiotis Theodoropoulos said the UAE national jiu-jitsu team demonstrated a high level of technical performance, discipline and professionalism at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, and that its results reflected the country's position as a global hub for the sport, in remarks carried by the state news agency WAM from Nagoya. He congratulated the national team on its performance and results, saying the UAE's continued achievements were the result of long-term institutional work based on a clear vision and strategy for developing athletes and the wider sporting ecosystem. [ 1 , 2 ]
Theodoropoulos said the inclusion of jiu-jitsu in the Asian Games programme under the Olympic Council of Asia marked a milestone for the sport, raising technical standards, increasing competition and strengthening its presence among major sports in Asia. He said Asia had become a key driver of jiu-jitsu's global development through cooperation between the international and Asian federations and strong UAE support, adding that many of the international federation's technical and organisational advances drew on Asian experience, particularly that of the UAE. [ 1 , 2 ]
He praised Abu Dhabi's role in the sport's development, saying the UAE had become an international centre for jiu-jitsu through an integrated system spanning schools, educational institutions, government entities, clubs, academies and international competitions. That approach, he said, had expanded participation and helped develop successive generations of athletes. He also praised Abdulmunam Al Hashemi, chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, president of the Jiu-Jitsu Asian Union and first vice president of the JJIF, for his work in developing the sport across Asia, noting that since Al Hashemi assumed the Asian federation presidency in 2014 the number of member national federations had risen from 12 to more than 40. [ 1 , 2 ]
Aletihad carried the same WAM report under the same headline, crediting WAM, and added no reporting of its own. Neither document states the UAE team's medal count, placings or individual results, and the WAM text provided ends mid-sentence in its account of continental and international competitions and athlete participation. [ 1 , 2 ]
Why it matters
The remarks were carried by the UAE's state news agency and reprinted by a national business outlet, giving the UAE federation's role in the sport's governance and development a prominent official platform. Because jiu-jitsu is now part of the Asian Games programme under the Olympic Council of Asia, the comments touch on the sport's standing in a multi-sport games setting rather than on a single competition. The documents give no medal or ranking details, so the sporting significance of the results themselves cannot be assessed from them.
Key facts
- Ju-Jitsu International Federation president Panagiotis Theodoropoulos said the UAE national jiu-jitsu team demonstrated a high level of technical performance, discipline and professionalism at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Theodoropoulos said the UAE's results reflected the country's position as a global hub for the sport. [ 1 , 2 ]
- He said the inclusion of jiu-jitsu in the Asian Games programme under the Olympic Council of Asia marked a milestone, raising technical standards and increasing competition. [ 1 , 2 ]
- He said Asia had become a key driver of jiu-jitsu's global development, citing cooperation between the international and Asian federations and UAE support. [ 1 , 2 ]
- He praised Abu Dhabi's role and said the UAE had become an international centre for jiu-jitsu through a system spanning schools, educational institutions, government entities, clubs, academies and international competitions. [ 1 , 2 ]
- He praised Abdulmunam Al Hashemi, chairman of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation and president of the Jiu-Jitsu Asian Union, and said that since Al Hashemi took the Asian federation presidency in 2014 the number of member national federations rose from 12 to more than 40. [ 1 , 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Panagiotis Theodoropoulos is president of the Ju-Jitsu International Federation and made the remarks about the UAE team's performance at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026. [ 1 , 2 ]
- He said jiu-jitsu's inclusion in the Asian Games programme under the Olympic Council of Asia marked a milestone for the sport. [ 1 , 2 ]
- He said Asia had become a key driver of jiu-jitsu's global development through cooperation between the international and Asian federations and strong UAE support. [ 1 , 2 ]
- He said the UAE had become an international centre for jiu-jitsu through a system involving schools, educational institutions, government entities, clubs, academies and international competitions. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Since Abdulmunam Al Hashemi assumed the presidency of the Asian federation in 2014, member national federations rose from 12 to more than 40. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- What results the UAE national jiu-jitsu team achieved at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, including any medals or placings. Neither document states any medal count, placing or match result; both refer only generally to the team's performance and results, and the text provided is truncated.
- The full details of the growth in continental and international competitions and athlete participation cited by Theodoropoulos. The sentence in the provided text is cut off mid-way, so the figures given for competitions and athlete participation cannot be read.
- Whether any other party besides the JJIF president commented on the team's performance. Only Theodoropoulos is quoted in the documents; no UAE federation, team or other official statement is included beyond the reference to Al Hashemi's role.