Dubai: More than 800 amateur and professional body builders from across the world will compete for prize fund in excess of Dh1.5 million in the Dubai Pro International Championship, qualifying to the Finals of Mr. Olympia from July 26-28.
Gulf athletes will have the opportunity to compete twice, first in the Open Championship, which will be held on July 27, which is open to athletes and professionals from all countries of the world, while the second is the Gulf Championship, which will be held on July 28 at Sheikh Saeed Hall 1 in Dubai World Trade Centre.
The Professionals Championship will also be held on the next day with participation of various categories; including the 212, Classic and Open Bodybuilding categories. The event is being organised by Oxygen Club in collaboration with Dubai Sports Council (DSC)
Wide participation
Adel Al Ali, Head of the Organising Committee of the Championship, said: “We thank DSC toward its great support of the championship, which is set to witness a wide participation of professional and amateur bodybuilding champions.
The facilities provided by Dubai and the distinctive organisation of this championship and other international tournaments, encouraged international companies to move their stores and premises from Europe to Dubai. International athletes and professional champions in Europe and America are also starting to move to Dubai, and this is something we are proud of.”
He added: “We are pleased with the huge rush for registration to participate in this event, which is of great importance as it qualifies Arab athletes to become professionals. It also gives athletes the opportunity to qualify for the World Bodybuilding Championship (Mr. Olympia 2024), the biggest championship for bodybuilding professionals, which is held under the umbrella of the International Federation for Bodybuilding and Fitness October 10 to 13 in Las Vegas.
"The winner of the Dubai Pro Championship in the amateur category will receive the title of “Champion of Champions” and gain a professional player’s card to participate in Mr. Olympia. This Championship is the first in the Middle East in which the winners of the amateur category gain nine professional cards, as these cards qualify them to become professional players, while the winning professionals receive financial prizes, which are the second highest, allocated for professional bodybuilders in the world after the Mr. Olympia Championship’s prizes.”
Al Ali added: “Athletes from six Gulf countries participate in the Gulf Championship, and compete to win three professional cards that qualify them to participate in Mr. Olympia.”
