Abu Dhabi — The UAE Judo Federation has announced the participation of the national first team, top-ranked in the Arab standings, in the Qingdao Judo Grand Prix, hosted by the Chinese Judo Federation under the supervision of the International Judo Federation, from 26 to 28 June.
Mohamed bin Thaaloob Al Darei, Chairman of the Board of the Judo Federation, said the delegation will be headed by Dr Nasser Al Tamimi, member of the National Olympic Committee and federation vice-president, and will include coach Viktor Sekretov and the support staff, alongside the following athletes: Simon Constantine in the under-60kg category, Narmand Bayan in under-66kg, Bashirat Kharroudi in 52kg, Naji Yazbeik and Mohamed Bek in under-73kg (light-middleweight), Omar Gad and Talal Shafili in under-81kg, Aram Jorgian in under-90kg (heavyweight), Zafar Kussov in under-100kg, Omar Maarouf in over-100kg, and athlete Aliza Latif in under-78kg.
He added that the national team's technical committee was keen to field the same squad that will compete in the Ulaanbaatar Grand Slam 2026, starting from 19 June, in order to ensure the best possible preparation and accumulate further qualifying points for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.