Dubai: A top official involved with the Second Dubai Fitness Championships is hopeful the competition will usher in fresh initiatives to promote healthy living, especially at grassroots level, in the near future.

Khalid Chookah, Director, Second Dubai Fitness Championships, is spearheading an event that he feels will inspire a cross-section of society starting with kids at school level.

“We are in the process of assimilating data that we have collected during the course of the past few weeks,” Chookah told Gulf News. “This will help us launch new initiatives in schools in the future. Not every fit person is healthy and not all healthy people are fit, and this is one area we want to touch by starting with the grassroots.”

Chookah was speaking at the announcement of the final 72 names in the men’s and women’s categories who have made it to the finals, scheduled to be held at the ice rink of The Dubai Mall between September 12-14.

Lindsey Valenzuela from the US is joined by Leanne Gerrish from the UK and Marlene Andersson from Kuwait in the top three positions in the women’s competition, while the men’s competition has Kenneth Leverich from the US, Craig Dignan from the UK and the UAE’s Khalifa Al Suwaidi.

The contestants will compete in eight events over the final three days, with the athlete who accumulates the highest number of points being adjudged the winner of the Dh200,000 top prize in both categories in addition to a special surprise for spectators from du.

Sponsored by du, with support from Fitness First and Dubai Sports Council, this weekend’s competition is being held under the patronage of Shaikh Majid Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman, Dubai Culture and Arts Authority.

“I hope we can inspire a bigger part of our community, not just through these championships, but also through the effects that will be felt after the event,” said Mark Botha, Group Operations and Marketing Director, Fitness First Middle East.

“This competition is going to be a great spectacle and good education for the country and for the athletes,” added Matt Coe, head of judges of the event. “Our main thought is to go back to the basics and ensure that fundamentals are being followed. This competition is also a great opportunity for the UAE youth to be exposed to international competition so that in the next two or three years they can catch up and be on par with the international level. In the UAE we have the talent but the youth do not believe in themselves.”