Dubai is on a mission to become the most active city in the world, with the opening of the second annual Dubai Fitness Challenge, with a targeted 1 million residents of the City (almost 1 in 3) pledging to commit to 30 minutes of exercise every day for 30 days.

Spearheaded by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, the initiative will see 4000 free classes available for residents across the next month.

With stats showing 28% of adults globally do no exercise, it seeks to build on the success of the inaugural Dubai Fitness Challenge, which saw a staggering 786,000 people of all ages and fitness levels participate – 25% of the population – and bring its participant number to 1 million.

Organisers hope that the Challenge, the world’s only multi-activity, month-long, city-wide fitness movement, will inspire other major cities around the world to follow suit. This comes in the wake of rising obesity figures globally, with experts warning in the UK, for example, that nearly half of the country could be obese by 2030 if changes aren’t made.
Over the course of the month, citizens will have access to over 4000 free fitness classes in more than 250 locations across the city. The Opening Carnival on Friday saw a spectrum of main stage fitness classes, with special guest appearances from high profile influencers and celebrities, including fitness model Emily Skye and Swedish kickboxer Badou Jack, as well as dedicated sports zones showcasing everything from the FIFA Club World Championship football experience, mini ramp skateboarding and dragon boat racing to slacklining, inline skating and parkour.
Another new addition this year are five Fitness Villages that will be open for 26 days at locations easily accessible to communities across Dubai so there’s even greater ability for everyone to make ‘fitness’ part of their daily routine.
The event is on from 26th October to 24th November.