The Olympia Martial Arts Academy had a successful opening last month at Solaiman Fakeeh Hospital, Jeddah, with over 100 guests from all age groups attending seminars and martial arts shows organized for the grand launch.

The opening kicked off with karate, kung fu and nunchaku martial arts shows and an open buffet for fans, participants and spectators.

World-renowned Brazilian ju-jitsu master Bruce Harvard conducted a three-day seminar teaching an array of martial arts sports that was organized by the founder of the Olympia Martial Arts Academy, grand master Khalid Anany and by Olympia Brazilian ju-jitsu coach Mohammed Abbas.

Over 70 people attended the seminar and internationally recognized certificates were awarded to participants by master Bruce Harvard who traveled from Chicago to conduct the seminar. He is considered as one of the best martial arts masters of Arab origin in the world.

“This is a good start to build an official Brazilian ju-jitsu team recognized internationally that can now compete world-wide and hopefully get gold medals for Saudi Arabia,” he commented after the conclusion of the event, officially naming the martial arts team that he trained as “Spider Team Saudi Arabia.”

Captain Mohammed Najjar, who was one of the trainers remarked, “Bruce Harvard’s seminar was necessary for the prosperity of Brazilian ju-jitsu in Saudi Arabia.”

A wide range of martial arts training programs will be added at the academy housed at Olympia Gym in Solaiman Fakeeh Hospital in the coming months.

The next seminar on kung fu is scheduled for around mid-February.

Captain Mohammed Abbas, martial arts coach of Palestinian origin and trained in the US said, “The event was a success. Bruce Harvard took an important step in making Spider Team Brazilian ju-jitsu from Saudi Arabia internationally recognized.”