Al-Hashemi was appointed president of the “Asian Jiu-Jitsu Federation” by acclamation in a new term

Abu Dhabi (Etihad)

The Asian Jiu-Jitsu Federation re-elected Abdel Moneim Al-Sayyed Mohammed Al-Hashemi as President of the Federation for a new electoral session by acclamation, during the General Assembly meeting held in the capital, Abu Dhabi, on the sidelines of the eighth edition of the Asian Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
The meeting was attended by Panagiotos Theodoroupolis, President of the International Jiu-Jitsu Federation, Joachim Thumfaert, Director-General of the International Federation, representatives from the Olympic Council of Asia, members of the Board of Directors of the Asian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, and heads of national federations from various parts of the continent.
The meeting witnessed the election of Fahad Ali Al Shamsi to the position of Secretary-General of the AFC, while Takamasa Watanabe was appointed as Deputy Secretary-General of the AFC, and Tariq Al-Bahri to the position of Treasurer.
The General Assembly approved the new Executive Council of the Federation, including the First Vice President of the Federation, Redha Monfardi, President of the Bahraini Federation, and 5 Vice Presidents, distributed across various regions of Asia, represented by the federations of Mongolia, Thailand, Iraq, Kazakhstan, and India.
The General Assembly meeting reviewed the program of activities, work plans, and annual and technical reports of the Asian Confederation, and highlighted the achievements that have been achieved in recent years, including enhancing participation in jiu-jitsu events and tournaments and training programs in various parts of Asia.
The meeting discussed indicators of the success of major events organized in the countries of the continent, such as the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Ulaanbaatar in 2023, the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2022, and the seventh edition of the Asian Jiu-Jitsu Championship, which was held in Bangkok, Thailand.
The meeting began with a minute of silence to mourn the soul of Sheikh Tahnoun bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, may God have mercy on him.
The President of the International Jiu-Jitsu Federation and the Senior Advisor to the Asian Federation led the agenda of the meeting, which was dominated by a distinguished friendly atmosphere.
The meeting highlighted the sports development initiatives that the continent has witnessed, such as referee training programs, anti-doping, support for national federations of the game, and future plans for the upcoming continental championships, including the 2024 Asian Futsal and Martial Arts Games scheduled to be held in November 2024.
The meeting reviewed the increase in the number of accredited referees in the Asian continent, reaching 45 referees from 15 countries. It also witnessed the adoption of plans to double the number of referees from member national federations, and a focus on supporting the activities of the national federations.

For his part, Abdul Moneim Al Hashemi thanked the President of the International Federation and all members of the Jiu-Jitsu family on the Asian continent for the honorable attendance at the General Assembly meeting, and for the members’ great efforts to spread and develop the game in Asia, which contributed to increasing the number of practitioners and the quality of tournaments, and doubling the number of technical personnel. Competent in the fields of training, arbitration, organization and management.
He said: We thank the General Assembly for the trust it has placed in us, and we promise everyone more work and effort to develop sports in the Asian continent, qualify competent cadres, and give our young players the care, attention, and opportunities they deserve to advance their sports careers. I stress that the most important reasons for the success of the Asian Confederation are unity and continuous communication. And work in a team spirit.
He added: “We constantly strive to unify efforts and work together, in order to establish integrity and unity in approach and practice, and to give all athletes equal opportunities. We will spare no effort to work responsibly, sincerely, and in cooperation with all federations, to develop the sport of jiu-jitsu on the continent.”

Commenting on the outcomes of the General Assembly meeting, Fahd Ali Al Shamsi said: “The results of the meeting represent a renewal of confidence in the work done by Abdul Moneim Al Hashemi in the past period, as we all witnessed this long journey that began ten years ago, and the qualitative shift and achievements achieved in terms of numbers, participating countries and initiatives.” The strong relations with the Olympic Council of Asia and the International Federation of Games, which came as a result of Abdul Moneim Al Hashemi’s vision, and the renewal of confidence in him came unanimously.”
He added: “We, in the Federation’s Secretariat Council, have a great responsibility to implement the programs and vision of the Executive Council, and achieve greater gains for this sport. I am confident that the coming years will witness the development of the sport to new heights, especially in light of the initiatives, programs and plans we have presented to support players. Choosing me as Secretary-General for a new term puts me in front of an additional responsibility and confirms our commitment to implementing programs and continuing development.”
Suresh Gopi, Senior Consultant at the Asian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, expressed his happiness with the results of the meeting, and said: “The meeting witnessed a great commitment from the members, with the attendance of 30 out of 33 members, and this represents the best evidence of the democratic process followed in the federation, and I am pleased with the results we achieved.” To her, the meeting succeeded in laying the foundation stone for the coming period, which heralds that the Asian Confederation will witness strong growth in the coming years. Finally, I extend my thanks to the organizing body for this high organizational level.