2013 WPJJC: Day two determines whites and blues, master and seniors

11 Apr, 2013

Rodolfo Vieira’s sister, Ana Carolina wins her division at the WPJJC on Thursday, April 11 / Photo by Erin Herle

The second day of the 2013 Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship gave way for the adult male/female white and blue belts as well as the master and seniors up to purple belt. The day started at 9 a.m. sharp with the first two white belts entering the mat regardless of nearly empty stands.

It didn’t take long for the seats to fill with locals who brought strong support for their United Arab Emirates Jiu-Jitsu team, cheering for every victory and dominating progression. It didn’t matter whether the students were white belts or over thirty, their dedication showed and therefore the support was always warranted. Passion flows because the prestige of the tournament has geared such respect for the athletes. Professional photographers, security and media coverage allows Jiu-Jitsu to be treated as a national sport, giving the credit it deserves.

The finals started around 1:30 after the opening ceremony was performed. The stage went from Jiu-Jitsu battles to Arabic drums and dances but the presence of prestige remained. After a message from the president of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu delegation, the matches proceeded.

Finals were held one by one on a highlighted lare mat area that was executed very smoothly. Each pair of opponents were lined up and led to the stage with spotlights, entrance music, cameras on them and their names announced. Right after every match the third place athlete, who waited nearby during the match, each competitor entered their spot on the podium. The medals were given, their names were announced and the lights went out as the spotlights for the next pair were aimed.

You can see the results of the categories below: