40 Countries to Participate in Event Starting 22 November

To Award Cash Prizes worth AED547,000

Abu Dhabi-UAE: 21 November, 2013

Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) will welcome some of the world's leading exponents of judo when the Abu Dhabi Judo Grand Prix 2013 gets underway in the UAE capital tomorrow (22 November). Organised by the UAE Federation for Wrestling, Judo and Kickboxing, the event will run until 23 November.

Held for the fifth time, and under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, National Security Advisor and Vice Chairman of the Executive Council of Abu Dhabi, the event will feature participation from more than 40 countries worldwide, and offer a rare opportunity to see some of the London 2012 Olympic participants perform in the UAE.

Cash prizes worth a total of $150,000 (AED547,000) will be awarded at the event, in addition to souvenirs and prizes offered by the Higher Organising Committee headed by Mohammed bin Thaloub Dari, Chairman of the UAE Federation for Wrestling, Judo and Kickboxing.

The Grand Prix will be followed by the Elite Championship that the event will feature for the first time. To run until 26 November, the Elite Championship will draw the participation of more than 1,000 athletes. A number of coaches, administrators and referees will ensure the seamless management of the event.

Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, Chief Commercial Officer at ADNEC, said: "We are looking forward to hosting and watching some of the best athletes in the world participate in this Grand Prix. Elite events such as this, held at ADNEC, are a reflection of our vision and commitment to attracting events with far-reaching impact on multiple sectors and industries.

"The positive impact of judo on the lives of young people not just in Abu Dhabi but across the world is something that we holistically support. As part of this priority, we continue to work tirelessly with various stakeholders and partners across the UAE to ensure that our facility satisfies the needs of their events and matches the requirements of our fast-developing emirate and its people."

The 40 national teams represented at the Grand Prix include the UAE, Egypt, Lebanon, Algeria, Libya, Yemen, Iran, India, Angola, Ghana, Mozambique, the Republic of Mauritius, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Brazil, China, Croatia, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Mongolia, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States.-

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About ADNEC
Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) is a strategic international venue development and management company. ADNEC's venue portfolio includes one of the most modern exhibition centres in the world: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, and the UK capital's largest exhibition and conference venue, ExCeL London, and Al Ain Convention Centre in Al Ain. ADNEC creates the ideal environment for Abu Dhabi's rapidly growing events industry. The projects surrounding the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre include: Capital Centre, a mixed-use development of 23 residential, commercial and mixed-use towers adjacent to the exhibition centre; Capital Gate, the iconic 35 storey record-breaking leaning tower that offers 14 storeys of grade A office space along with the 5-star Hyatt Capital Gate hotel; the interconnected four-star Aloft Hotel; and a 20,000sqm waterfront quayside (Marina).  The company also owns BoxOfficeME, the region's most advanced and high-tech ticket vendor, which complements its event facilities in the UAE; and Al Maa'red Weddings, ADNEC's specialist weddings consultancy.    For more information visit www.adnec.ae; www.excel-london.co.uk; www.capitalgate.ae; www.boxofficeme.com.

Media contacts
Wael Kanakri
Tel: +971 (0) 2 444 6900
Fax: +971 (0) 2 444 613
Wael.kanakri@adnec.ae

© Press Release 2013