European grapplers from all areas will soon start drowning their sorrows as the announcement has just been made that they will no longer be able to attend the very first ADCC trials event. Originally, the European, Middle-Eastern and African qualifiers were all due to be held in the same event for the first time on October 3rd. The event has now been pushed all the way back until December 12th and will remain in the same location.
This will no doubt come as a huge blow for those that have already started preparing for the qualification phase of the world’s most prestigious submission grappling event. When the official ADCC social media account broke the news, they mentioned that the reason behind postponing the event as being the presence of international travel restrictions in place due to Covid-19. This is in stark contrast to the recent IBJJF announcement of the new date for the 2020 Pan-Ams which will go ahead in the USA despite many high-profile Brazilian athletes being vocally unhappy with their likely inability to compete.
While this might not be the news that many had wanted, some competitors will no doubt be happy that the event has been postponed as they may be able to travel without restrictions by that time. It’s unlikely that the event will get delayed any further as there will also be a second ADCC European trials event staged at some point in the future, and the eventual ADCC World Championships will need to take place by the end of 2021.
