Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, has invited all UAE residents to participate in the 6th edition of the Dubai Fitness Challenge (DFC).
In his tweet, he wrote:
“A new challenge is coming up for Dubai from 29 Oct-27 Nov…The Dubai Fitness Challenge. I look forward to having the whole community unite to turn Dubai into the world’s most active and dynamic city.”
Over 10,000 classes, the World Padel Championship and the world’s largest trampoline fitness session are just some of the things in store for residents during the one-month long DFC kicks off on October 29.
Here is a quick look at the DFC:
- 2 Fitness Villages
- 19 Fitness Hubs
- Dubai Ride – November 6
- Dubai Run- November 20
- 30-day Padel Programme
- 30-day Football Programme
Launched in 2017, the DFC encourages Dubai residents to take up 30 minutes of activity a day for 30 days and transforms the entire city into a fitness hub.
Last year, the event saw a record participation of 1.65 million people.
“This year, we are expecting the numbers to be much higher,”
said Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment.
“Covid taught people the importance of being fit and healthy. So far, the numbers have been very encouraging. We are hoping to top last year’s participation numbers.”
- 2017 — 786,000 participants
- 2018 — 1,000,000
- 2019 — 1,100,000
- 2020 — 1,500,000
- 2021 — 1,650,000
The iconic Dubai Run and Dubai Ride that transformed Sheikh Zayed Road into a pavement for cyclists and runners will be back this year as well.
Dubai Ride
- To be held on November 6
- Two routes: 12-km ride on Sheikh Zayed Road; 4-km family route on Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard.
- Six start and finish gates including MOTF, Satwa, Coca Cola arena, lower Financial Centre road and Business Bay
Register on www.dubairide.com
Dubai Run
- To be held on November 20
- Two routes: 10km and 5km
Register on www.dubairun.com
World Padel Championship
The World Padel Championship will come to the UAE for the first time as part of the DFC. It will take place from October 31 to November 5 at the 5,000-seat Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium.
The two fitness villages of DFC will be back this year as well. Here are the details:
DP World Kite Beach Fitness Village
- Opening Hours: Monday-Friday 3pm-11pm
- Saturday-Sunday 7am-11am
The attractions at the fitness village are:
- Aqua Park
- The Ring
- Aviv Row- Ride- Jab
- Etisalat by E& Base Main Stage
- Fitbit- Core- Lift- Rebounder
- Emirates NBD Cricket Arena
- The Box by Nissan
- Multi-purpose Court
- Lipton Tone
- Emirates Padel Court
- Children’s Play Area
RTA Last Exit Fitness Village, Al Khawaneej
- Opening Hours: Monday- Friday 16:00-23:00
- Saturday- Sunday 16:00- 00:00
The attractions at the fitness village are:
- RTA Base Main Stage
- Aster Ladies Studio
- Mai Dubai Ride
- Dubai Chamber Bounce
- Children’s Area
This year, there will be a record 19 fitness hubs for the DFC, as compared to the 14 hubs last year.
These are:
- Dragon Mart
- Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC)
- Zabeel Sports District
- Mohammed Bin Rashid Library
- Sport Society
- Dubai Silicon Oasis
- Hatta
- Dubai Design District
- Champs Sports and Fitness Club
- The Beach
- Bluewaters
- Dubai Multi Commodities Center
- Palm Jumeirah
- Dubai Sports City
- The Space
- Zabeel Ladies Club
- Dubai Police Officers Club
- Dubai Hills Mall
- Dubai Festival City Mall
Dates for all the fitness hubs will be on the DFC website https://www.dubaifitnesschallenge.com/
Fitness Weekend
An exclusive sports and fitness weekend will take place at Expo City on November 12-13.
The activities will take place in 5 locations:
- Al Wasl Dome
- Jubilee Park
- Surreal Water Feature
- Garden In the Sky
- Al Forsan Park
Some of the activities will be:
- Expo City Run with distances of 3k, 5k, 10k or 15km
- Expo City ride with distances of 12km, 18km, 40km and 74km
- AC Milan football academy
- Yoga sessions
- Spinning
- Gymnastics
- Zumba
- The world’s largest trampoline fitness session
News Source: Khaleej Times