UAE bodybuilders boosted by better backing

Dubai What's it like to have two jobs and both involve guiding the destiny of a sport?

Ask Osama Ahmad Al Shafar, President of the Asian Body Building Federation and President of the UAE Body Building Association.

"My performance is reflected in the performance of my team working behind the scene," Al Shafar told Gulf News before leaving with the national squad to participate in this week's Asian Body Building Championships in Hong Kong.

"I have some very capable people working with me. We are all one team and we have one common goal," Al Shafar added.

Al Shafar has travelled to Hong Kong with the UAE squad for the Asian Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships, which later this week.

Al Shafar is expecting the UAE to notch their best-ever performance on the continental stage.

"I am expecting at least three gold medals from our team this time," he said.

Last year, the UAE squad returned with five medals from Shanghai.

After being elected president of the UAE BBA, Al Shafar was chosen as president of the ABBF last year.

Since then, the sport has changed drastically, not only in the continent but in the UAE as well.

Government support

Body builders no longer need to worry about their job security and getting permission to compete before and during a competition.

"We have the full backing of the Ministry [General Authority of Youth and Sport Welfare] and each of the builders now have an official letter of condonation to stay away from work as they are representing their country," said Al Shafar.

This was certainly not the case a little over a year ago when competitors found it difficult to secure time off work to represent the country.

"Now we give each of the athletes a monthly allowance of Dhs3000 for their upkeep. This amount is besides the regular salary that they draw from their jobs," said Al Shafar.

These changes have brought in a transformation of the mind-set of the athletes.

"They are confident, they have a lot more self-belief and they are willing to give something back to the country," said the president.

The changes, though few, have made a difference to the athletes.

At the Asian level, smaller countries such as Mongolia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Indonesia have been getting the full technical and financial backing from the ABBF.

The result has been instant with this week's Asian competition attracting 42 countries, more than ever before.