More than 1 million people took part in Dubai Fitness Challenge

Nearly 800,000 people signed up to take part in the Dubai Fitness Challenge, but the initiative likely reached more than one million participants, as nearly half of attendants at marquee events were not officially registered.

Geared toward making Dubai the most active city in the world, the initiative was launched by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, to encourage the public to commit to a minimum of 30 minutes of daily activity for 30 days from October 20 to November 18.

The campaign was supported by a host of free sports events, including 1,500 free exercise classes at 85 locations, pop-up gym sessions at more than 75 venues across the city, weekend fitness carnivals and other community-driven activities, complete with support from professional trainers and fitness tips from international experts.

The total number of registered participants — 786,000 — far exceeded the target of 100,000 set ahead of the challenge, organisers said. A survey of registered participants found that 44 per cent were from schools, 33 per cent were from corporations and 23 per cent were from government entities. Forty-five per cent were women and 34 per cent of all participants were over the age of 40.