DUBAI // Last year, Anis Aziz missed out on Dubai Municipality’s Your Weight in Gold campaign which rewarded people with gold for slimming down. This year he was determined to get a good start.
The 28-year-old financial manager from India was one of the first people to register on the opening day of this year’s campaign.
“It is motivation towards reducing weight,” he said. “You are winning in two ways.”
To achieve his goal of shedding 10 kilograms from his current 107 kilos, he is planning to exercise regularly.
“I am planning to run here,” he said while motioning to the beachfront jogging track of Al Mamzar Park, one of five locations throughout the city where people could register for the campaign.
This year’s campaign, Your Child in Gold, targets families with children. They will get more rewards than those participating as individuals. Each family is allowed to participate with two children below the age of 14.
Each individual participant will get a gram of gold per kilo lost, while families will get two grams for each kilo reduced. All participants must lose at least two kilos to be eligible for rewards.
Registration will continue until July 24, and can be done daily from 9pm until 12am at four other sites in Dubai apart from Al Mamzar office.
They are at gate three of the Al Khawaneej jogging track, gate two of Al Safa Park, gate three of Zabeel Park and the Al Barsha Park main entrance.
Participants are weighed during registration with their success determined after final measurements taken between September 10 and 15.
While people in the queue at Al Mamzar park on Wednesday readily admitted to a few extra kilos, Surumi Anish had a different problem. She had been planning on supporting her husband, Anish Jabbar, but was not able to register.
“She has been disqualified,” said Mr Jabbar, 30, a logistics company employee. “They said her height and weight was too low to qualify for this.”
Mr Jabbar now faces the challenge of losing 5 kilos on his own. He weighed in at 96.7 kilos, but he said his plan was to continue with his daily fast during Ramadan, and to include some exercise during the days afterwards.
The campaign attracted 10,000 people last year. This year, the municipality is hoping 15,000 will take up the challenge.
“Dubai aims to be one of the healthiest cities in the world,” said Walid Al Shaibani, head of Dubai Municipality club and coordinator of the campaign. “To achieve this big goal we need to change our food habits and promote physical activities reducing lifestyle-related diseases such as obesity, high cholesterol and diabetes.
“Children must get medical advice from the nutritionists on sites prior to registering for the contest in order to confirm their fitness to participate,” he said.
Ahmed bin Sulayem, executive chairman of the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), one of the sponsors of the campaign, said the initiative aimed to attract more people this year and to encourage them to adopt a healthy lifestyle permanently.
“That is one of many reasons why DMCC is increasing its contribution to the campaign this year by providing Dh200,000 worth of gold with the ultimate goal of raising awareness of the benefits of exercise combined with a healthy diet,” he said.
People can speed up the registration process by filling out their details online on www.thedmgold.com.
vtodorova@thenational.ae