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Breaking Down Barriers: Ghalia Baggily, The Highest Ranked Arab Woman In BJJ

Breaking Down Barriers: Ghalia Baggily, The Highest Ranked Arab Woman In BJJ

Ghalia Baggily-Ogden Smith is a BJJ brown belt teaching in Beirut, Lebanon. In this exclusive interview with BJJ Eastern Europe, Ghalia talks about very interesting BJJ journey that took her from the UAE to Warsaw to Lebanon, and talks about her plans for BJJ in the region:

1. Can you please introduce yourself to the BJJ Community of Eastern Europe? 

Ghalia Baggily (Ogden-Smith), 38 years old, BJJ Brown Belt, Jordanian, work in Events management.
I train at home with my training partner and with our Drill to Win Galvao book.

2. Please tell us about your Jiu-Jitsu story.

In 2004 when BJJ was just starting in Jordan i joined the guys’ class along with other three girls. As soon as I was awarded the blue belt I had to move to Dubai for work.
In Dubai, I trained under Carlos Santos, Olavo Abreu and Suyan Queiroz until I was asked by the dojo owner not to attend classes anymore. “Females are not allowed in my dojo” he told me. This upset me very much and made me feel like I was doing something wrong. But my coaches were adamant about finding a new location which they did a couple of months after. Throughout my training in Dubai I learnt a lot about the BJJ and the BJJ lifestyle and made amazing friends who encouraged me and made me feel proud.

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Ghalia and Daniel Hilal

I then got married to an Anglo Lebanese guy whom I met in Dubai who happened to have an Aikido black belt. Tarek, my husband, had to convert to BJJ before meeting me in church. I was awarded the purple belt shortly before I moved to Warsaw.
Warsaw was an interesting experience partly because I had to train in low temperatures which was very difficult for a desert girl and partly because it was the first time I train with girls. Two of them were in my weight category and it was great

3. Please tell us about your experience teaching and spreading Jiu-Jitsu in Lebanon.

As soon as I moved to Beirut in 2010 I called the Ministry of Sports to ask for a list of dojos. To my dismay I discover that not only the Lebanese have never heard of BJJ but also that I have the highest belt in the country.
Two months later a 22 years old blue belt Daniel Hilal introduces himself to me and together we start a team and together we suffer to try to find a dojo that will take us in. why would anybody take two weirdos who preach an unknown sport?

4. How do you view the BJJ scene there?

The scene in Lebanon is still small but growing slowly. There has been a few seminars but never a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournament. There hasn’t even been another team other than us until now.

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5. You’ve trained in the UAE, How do you see Jiu-Jitsu developing there in the next 5-10 years? Will local talents make it to world class levels?

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in the UAE is already big as it has the highest concentration of black belts in the world and the most funding for tournaments,
They already have local fighters at world class level (they do training camps at top academies and compete in the highest level tournaments, and some medal in them)
The only difference is they have a school program which exists nowhere else in the world, which will add to the level of local talent within the next years.

6.Please tell us about your BJJ academy and team in Lebanon.

Daniel and I rented our own small dojo and called our team Orfaos ( Portuguese for Orphans) We have around 10 students two of which have recently been promoted to blue belts.

7. How would describe your bjj style and game?

My BJJ style is a mix of old school with new school. BJJ evolves so fast and we all have to keep up

8.Who are BJJ players that you admire?

Daniel Hilal , a purple belt self taught true athlete. I admire his persistence, his dedication to the sport, ongoing motivation and clarity.
I met a lot of coaches, students and champions but never a self taught player/ coach who trains with a chair and a punching bag and sometimes with just a kimono tied on a window. Very inspiring.

9. What does it mean for you to be the highest ranked Arab woman in the BJJ world?

It means pressure.
And this pressure never seems to go away but gets heavier and heavier by the belt.
The pressure to encourage other women to join the sport, pressure to keep evolving, to meet everybody’s expectation and the pressure of juggling my family, work and BJJ to make it all work somehow.

Ghalia with Mario Sperry and Minotauro

Ghalia with Mario Sperry and Minotauro

10. What’s next for you and your team in 2013?

We are now in the process of creating a BJJ committee under the big umbrella of the Lebanese Jiu Jitsu Federation. Hoping to raise some money to send at least two of our students to compete in World Tournaments and to promote the sport throughout Lebanon.

11. If you want to thank somebody or sponsors, feel free

Unfortunately we have no sponsors to thank but I would like to extend my gratitude to the encouragement of Suyan Queiroz, Olavo Abreu, Carlos Santos , Mohamad Jihad, Roberto Atalla and Faris el-Dahdah

12. Thanks Ghalia and all the best!

My pleasure