Jiu-Jitsu Coach

The Petitioner failed to meet the awards, memberships, and published material criteria. While he received numerous medals in IBJJF competitions, there was insufficient evidence of their national or international recognition. Additionally, membership in 'D Team' did not require outstanding achievements as judged by experts, and the submitted articles lacked circulation data to qualify as major media.

The Petitioner satisfied only two criteria: awards (medals at IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu and Brazilian National Championships) and judging (refereeing competitions). The membership criterion was not met because the IBJJF black belt certification was obtained after the filing date and the requirements did not demonstrate a review of outstanding achievements by experts. The leading/critical role criterion was not met as the Petitioner's volunteer refereeing for three one-day tournaments did not demonstrate significant importance to the organization's outcome, nor was the organization's distinguished reputation established.

The appeal was dismissed because, despite meeting three initial criteria, the petitioner failed to demonstrate sustained national or international acclaim or that he was among the small percentage at the very top of his field. The decision highlighted intermittent first-place finishes between 2014-2023, lack of context for competition results (e.g., number of participants, overall performance vs. selective representation), and the fact that a I-degree black belt was not indicative of being at the very top. Post-filing evidence was not considered, and expert opinion letters were given less weight due to contradictions with other evidence.