Dubai: Saeed Hareb, the General Secretary of Dubai Sports Council, has saluted the MEFIT Health and Fitness Summit for bringing in a wow factor to the fitness sector as the three-day event came to a close at the Jumeirah Creekside Hotel on Saturday.

Organised by MEFIT Pro and supported by the Dubai Sports Council (DSC), the 14th edition of the MEFIT Summit, the biggest event of its kind in the region, attracted more than 1,000 participants, including 800 school children, and saw, among others, 30 international presenters and around 400 trainers share their expertise and display the industry’s latest tech and trends.

“When I visited the MEFIT Summit for the first time last year, I was taken aback with the profile of the event. Undoubtedly, this is one of the best events, especially in the fitness sector in the DSC portfolio,” Hareb said.

This year, the MEFIT Summit had a special segment for schoolchildren, titled Teens’ Sports and Fitness Expo, where students from five Emirati schools and five private schools of Dubai were bussed to the venue and given motivational talks and workouts by some of the industry’s best.

“It was really good to see so many students here, enjoying the workouts they were being given,” Hareb said.

“The decision to make schoolchildren a part of the summit emanates from the directives of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council, to focus on our youth and to encourage them to make physical activity a part of their daily routine,” he added.

Greg Boucher, CEO of MEFIT Pro, lauded Dubai Sports Council for their support. “Sometimes, they say it is hard to turn an old dog and make them change their ways. What we say is, let’s start with the younger generation and actually help them build some fitness — teach them how, teach them about nutrition and see if they can change their community and be influences,” he said.

“The UAE exercise industry is worth $380 million at the moment, but it’s about to go into a new era. We are expecting this to double over the next three to four years. With the club chains that are coming in, the boutiques that are coming in, the budget chains that are coming in, there are a lot of things happening in the industry. So it is really hotting-up,” he added.