Gold worth Dh6m for weight loss winners

Dubai: Thousands of people will in December be awarded a total of 40kg in gold coins, worth around Dh6 million, for winning a weight loss contest.

Dubai Municipality will hold the closing ceremony of its “Your Child in Gold” competition at Zabeel Park.

The date will be announced in the coming days or weeks.

In the second edition of the contest children were allowed to take part with their parents and were awarded two grams for every kilo lost – double the rate for individual winners.

Esmail Al Banna, director of the municipality’s corporate marketing and relations department, said: “This year, 7,350 individuals had shed weight to win the challenge, which required participants to drop a minimum of two kilos to be successful.”

Last year, 2,648 winners won 16.823kg of gold.

Waleed Al Shaibani, the municipality club’s manager and chief coordinator of the campaign, held from July 15-September 15, said: “We are working hard to organise a grand closing ceremony for the prize distribution as it requires huge efforts to accommodate 7,350 winners and their families in the venue.

“There will be attractive programmes and surprises for all during the event which is again expected to be a global hit in the journey of Dubai towards excellence.

“The top winners will be announced during the closing ceremony and the top winner this year has a new record.”

Najeeba Al Shezawi, medical-in-charge of the initiative, said the winners include more than 200 children aged below 13.