History of Filipino Fighting Arts - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

     In 1994, Master Godofredo Fajardo was appointed Commissioner of the Middle East by Arnis Philippines, thegoverning body for arnis and the Olympic Committee headed by Raymond Velayo. Master Godo brought his twin organizations to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, namely International Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines and Filipino Fighting Arts Int’l.
     Eventually, after his organization took roots and started growing in Saudi Arabia, Master Godo formed a separate entity for his Saudi Arabian operations, Filipino Fighting Arts KSA. Appointed as the first president of Filipino Fighting Arts KSA was Ghazzi Al-Turaifi, a Lakan Antas Tatlo (Black Belt Third Degree) in Modern Arnis under Master Godo. Al-Turaifi is a prominent Saudi national who was educated in the United States and is currently employed by SABIC. Filipino Fighting Arts KSA uses a modified logo similar to the original logo used in the Philippines and United States.
     Filipino Fighting Arts KSA continues to grow in leaps and bounds in Saudi Arabia. As of 2005, there are almost a dozen chapters in the Kingdom, and seventeen Lakans (Black belts) in the organization, consisting of different nationalities—including 5 Saudis, 1 Jordanian, 1 Yemeni, and 4 Filipinos.
     In 2005, , in accordance with its mission to promote Filipino martial arts in the Middle East, Filipino Fighting Arts Int’l established chapters in the countries of Syria, Jordan and Iraq.