Australian Fitness & Health Expo to host Victorian Jiu Jitsu State Championship

Being held in Melbourne for the first time in 2014, the Australian Fitness & Health Expo will, among a suite of events, play host to the Victorian Jiu Jitsu State Championships.

The largest fitness event in the southern hemisphere, the Australian Fitness & Health Expo is being held at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre (MCEC) with a purpose-built MMA Arena to be built inside the venue.

Run by the Australian Federation of Brasilian Jiu Jitsu, up to 1,000 athletes are expected to compete over three days of the Championships from 4th to 6th April in what is the longest running and fastest growing Jiu Jitsu event in Australia, first staged in 1995.

Categories to be contested are:

Junior all weights from four to 15 years all in Gi divisions only.

Juvenile all weights 16 and 17 years in both Gi and No Gi divisions.

Adult Female and Male all weights in all Novice, Blue Belt, Purple Belt, Brown Belt and Black Belt.

Master (30-35) Female and Male all weights in all Novice, Blue Belt, Purple Belt, Brown Belt and Black Belt.

Senior 1 -Senior 3 (35-40, 40-45, 45-50) Female and Male all weights in all Novice, Blue Belt, Purple Belt, Brown Belt and Black Belt.

Australian Federation of Brasilian Jiu Jitsu National President Peter de Been said that the sport is growing incredibly fast in Australia with more than 12,000 people estimated to be practicing Jiu Jitsu in the country.

de Been stated "in the USA in both 2011 and 2012, Jiu Jitsu was considered the fastest growing sport and it seems the same can be said for Australia.

"Jiu Jitsu is a huge attraction for people who want to tone up, loose weight, gain flexibility and strength. It is a unique sport catering to all those needs whilst stimulating the mind akin to playing chess.

"The AFBJJ began its certification program in February 2013 - this program saw each competitor being certified by age, rank and sex and issued with a membership card. In the first ten months over 2700 memberships were issued. We expect this growth to continue into 2014."

Australian Fitness & Health Expo Manager Shaun Krenz said the Expo was thrilled to be hosting the Championship, which was expected to attract more than 20,000 spectators.

Krenz added "the Australian Fitness & Health Expo first identified Martial Arts as a potential growth area within the fitness industry back in 2011. It was then that 108 square meters of space was dedicated to what was called the MMA Zone.

"The zone featured professional martial artists conducting seminars and demonstrations, which were well received. It has consistently grown every year since and is set to be a key feature in 2014 where over 700 square meters have been allocated for a dedicated area to stage the Victorian Jiu Jitsu State Championship."

The Victorian State Championship is an important event in the competition calendar, being a three star rated event that provides valuable ranking points go towards the National Ranking System.

The day schedule will be made available online in January - all categories will be contested over the three days. A detailed fight time schedule will be available online in the first week of April.

The Australian Fitness & Health Expo will be held from 4th to 6th at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre.

For more information go to www.fitnessexpo.com.au

4th December 2013 - LARGEST FITNESS EXPO IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE HEADS TO MELBOURNE