Dubai: The prestigious Agita Mundo Award was bestowed on Dubai during the Fifth International Congress on Physical Activity and Public Health (ICPAPH) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Dubai was presented with the Agita Mundo Award in the National Projects in Physical Activities during the course of the ICPAPH recently held in the second largest city of Brazil.
The annual event is organised by Agita Mundo, the global physical activity promotion network, in cooperation with the International Society for Physical Activity and Health (ISPAH) and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).
In 2012, Agita Mundo had shown its appreciation for the Dubai Sports Council’s (DSC) ‘Dubai Pulse’ programme by presenting the city with a certificate of appreciation for its leading role in promoting physical activities among residents.
“Dubai is a city that does not rest on its laurels. We want to promote physical activity as a healthy behaviour for people of all ages, nationalities and characteristics. This new recognition will add to our ongoing efforts to promote physical activity and a healthy attitude within society. We still have a long way to go, and we are committed to a healthier and vibrant community,” Dr Ahmad Sa’ad Al Sharif, General Secretary, DSC, told Gulf News.
“We believe that promoting physical activity as a healthy behaviour has a positive impact on the health and productivity of the community while also reducing medical expenses,” he added.
This award is one of several bagged by Dubai in the past few years. Last year, Dubai jumped one spot in being voted the second best sporting city in the world after London at the Seventh International Sports Event Management (ISEM) Awards that honour sport event management industry leaders for their outstanding performance in the organisation of major sports events.
In 2012, Dubai was named best sports city in the Middle East and Africa by SportBusiness Group’s Ultimate Sports Cities Awards. “For us it is a matter of constant upgrading. The ultimate aim is to create a new culture wherein residents think of health and their well-being as an investment for a better future. For sure this award will add value to what we are doing. We’ve done a good job so far, but a lot still needs to be done,” Dr Al Sharif said.
Established in Brazil and now based in Switzerland, Agita Mundo aims at promoting physical activity as healthy behaviour for people around the world. The Agita Mundo network stimulates research, encourages dissemination of information on the health benefits of physical activities and effective strategies and support development of national and local programmes for physical activity promotion.
