A City In Action: Crown Prince of Dubai Launches Dubai Fitness Challenge

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai Government and Dubai Sports Council today launched the inaugural Dubai Fitness Challenge with the aim of motivating residents to take up physical activity and making Dubai the most active city in the world. This enterprising new Challenge seeks to inspire Dubai’s citizens, residents and visitors to boost their physical activity by committing to a minimum of 30 minutes of daily activity for 30 days through a wide range of fitness activities, sports or exercise.

HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed said: “Dubai aims to set an example for cities around the world in encouraging citizens to give high importance to physical activity and sports. We are very keen to spread a culture of fitness since we strongly believe that making physical activity and sports a part of their daily routines will help people significantly improve the quality of their lives.  The Dubai Fitness Challenge has been designed to motivate people to pursue an active and energetic lifestyle. This complements other initiatives we are pursuing to transform Dubai itself into the world’s happiest city by providing a positive social environment and the conditions for an enriching lifestyle.”

Running from 20 October to 18 November 2017, the flagship Dubai Fitness Challenge is the Emirate’s only multi-activity, city-wide fitness movement to date. Encompassing all forms of activity – from walking, team sports, intense fitness regimes, paddle-boarding and aerobics to football, yoga, cycling and everything in between – this will be an exciting, action-packed and most importantly personally rewarding month of self-discovery, social interaction and enjoyment for everyone of all ages, abilities and fitness levels. It will also give participants the opportunity to experiment with new and exciting ways to improve their fitness levels, and experience the wide range of sports and exercise programmes that will be showcased across the city that they may not have tried before. 

Highlights of the initiative include five weekend fitness carnivals starting at Safa Park on 20 and 21 October; celebrity guests, motivational experts and fitness professionals will make motivational appearances at various locations, dedicated events and live entertainment. 

In addition to a packed schedule of daily fitness events, free exercise classes and dedicated community activities in each of Dubai’s neighbourhoods, Dubai Fitness Challenge will also feature a number of existing and highly successful partner events including Dubai Color Run, Dubai Mass Swim and Dubai Schools Fitness Games among others.

His Highness today challenged all government organisations, public sector and educational institutions to be the drivers of change. He called on them to take the lead in spearheading the fitness movement and urged the private sector to be equal contributors in this Year of Giving by supporting their employees to participate through simple actions like time allocated for exercise.

HE Helal Saeed Almarri – Director General of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing commented: “With the launch of the Dubai Fitness Challenge, we aim to become the most active city in the world, motivating everyone across all ages, and fitness levels, to start with small steps that will benefit them and their families. With just 30 minutes of physical activity each day for 30 days, we are confident that the city will begin to adopt a healthier and more active lifestyle as a choice for life. ”

“We want everyone to join this inclusive initiative, from those who have never exercised to those that are fitness enthusiasts, from the young to the old and the people of determination, and the entire community including schools, businesses and government organisations across Dubai. It’s the perfect trigger to make a positive change to one’s life, for the less active to challenge themselves to set higher goals, for those already committed to an active lifestyle to push their limits and be the motivators for the wider community. With a packed calendar of fitness events and healthy activities across the month, residents should view this as a fun and interactive way to spend quality time with friends and family for the collective benefit of all.  In this Year of Giving, Dubai Fitness Challenge is an opportunity to give not just to ourselves but also to others, and we are confident that the people of Dubai will get behind this movement wholeheartedly.”

Encompassing a huge range of sporting events and supported by partners from across the public and private sectors, Dubai Fitness Challenge boasts a packed diary of exciting and inspiring fitness activities throughout the month in locations across the city. With hundreds of events, classes and activities completely free of charge, there’s no excuse not to join in. To register and pledge your commitment to 30 minutes of activity for 30 days, simply visit www.dubaifitnesschallenge.com. Once the challenge starts, be sure to download the Dubai Fitness Challenge App to track your performance, discover events and unlock exciting rewards.