The UAE Jiu-Jitsu National Team amassed eight medals at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 according to WAM with five of them gold two silver and one bronze. This haul contributed substantially to the UAE’s record seven gold medals across all sports at the event surpassing the previous high of five golds from the 2022 Hangzhou Games. The performance underscored years of investment in the national programme by the UAE Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts Federation which sent a strong delegation to Japan.
On the second day of competition WAM reported that Mahdi Al Awlaqi captured gold in the men’s 77kg category by defeating Jordan’s Mahmoud Jabr in the final while Asma Al Hosani defended her title in the women’s 52kg division against South Korea’s Eonju Im. Amaar Al Hosani completed the day’s medals by earning bronze in the men’s 94kg event. These results on Friday October 2 lifted the jiu-jitsu team’s total to eight medals and helped push the UAE’s Games-wide gold count to seven.
The opening day of jiu-jitsu on October 1 produced three golds and two silvers for the UAE in a single session marking the country’s most productive day in Asian Games history by medal count. Khaled Al Shehhi claimed the men’s 62kg title Ahmed Andeez took the men’s 69kg crown and Balqees Abdulla won gold in the women’s 48kg. Al Anoud Al Harbi and Omar Al Suwaidi secured the silvers in the women’s 48kg and men’s 62kg categories respectively with the women’s final an all-Emirati affair.
Asma Al Hosani’s success built directly on her historic breakthrough at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou where she became the first Emirati woman to win an Asian Games gold medal in any martial art according to WAM. That achievement in 2023 highlighted the growing strength of women’s jiu-jitsu in the UAE and the federation’s targeted development efforts. The latest title defence demonstrated the depth now present in the programme.
The UAE’s overall medal standings at Aichi-Nagoya reached 12 with seven golds four silvers and one bronze eclipsing all prior performances at the continental event. Additional golds came from Mariam Kareem in the women’s 400m hurdles and Kazbek Naguchev in the men’s 73kg judo category while the show jumping team contributed a silver. Jiu-jitsu accounted for five of the seven golds and eight of the 12 total medals.
Al Anoud Al Harbi told WAM she was very happy to win silver and noted that an all-Emirati final in the women’s 48kg reflected the continued progress of female athletes in the sport. Shihab AlFaheem the UAE Ambassador to Japan attended the medal ceremonies alongside federation officials including Mohamed Salem Al Dhaheri. The jiu-jitsu competition wrapped up on Saturday October 3 after delivering the bulk of the UAE’s success at these Games.
