History of the SJJIF

Led by Professor João Silva, in June of 2012, the Sport Jiu-Jitsu International Federation (SJJIF) was founded by professors João Silva , Patricia Silva, Samuel Aschidamini, Edison Kagohara and Cleiber Maia.

These individuals realized the importance of organizing and structuring the sport of Jiu-Jitsu and understood that this would be a journey that would require time, dedication and the collaboration of everyone in the sport.  It was understood among these individuals, that with the sport's evolution and growing popularity around the world, a unified body was necessary to prove that Jiu-Jitsu was a stand-alone sport that could gain recognition and admitance into the Olympic program as a competition event of the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Deaflympics and in all other games of the  Olympic cycle.  

The primary goal of the SJJIF is to unify and organize existing Sport Jiu-Jitsu, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Jiu-Jitsu National and/or territorial federations that share the vision of reaching Olympic greatness while preserving the unique history, culture, philosophy and lineage of our sport.  

Establishing one set of governing rules, the SJJIF has helped develop or unify existing federations, creating a growing network of likeminded members who envision greater opportunities for our athletes and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Together, we will continue to organize the sport under one set of governing rules, offer rules courses to educate practitioners of the sport in its rules, host high quality and fair competitions in Gi and NoGi and rank athletes internationally and in their respective territories. 

The SJJIF has further developed the sport by providing National Federations with the opportunity to be part of the true international governing body of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, where their voice and vote directs the future of the SJJIF and sport. For the sport community the SJJIF has developed or assisted in the development of several programs and events that promote the importance of youth development, fair competition, respect, inclusion, equality, cooperation, peace, and friendship while also striving towards hosting tournaments that are enjoyable, fair, and rewarding for all participants.

The SJJIF believes that together, the SJJIF with its National Federations and members can prove that we are a stand-alone sport in which our athletes deserve an equal right to Olympic greatness!