Are you overweight and looking for motivation to help you lose weight? Will the fact that you would receive two grams of gold for every kilogram that you use be enough motivation? We are not kidding here folks; a weight loss competition held in Dubai this summer had promised to pay all those who took part in it. The prize was 2 grams of gold for every kilogram of body weight lost.
The competition was named “Your Child in Gold” and had more than 7,500 winners this year who will be awarded a total of 40 kg gold that amounts up to more than $1.6 million. The official Dubai Municipality website said, “This year the priority was given for families as they will get double rewards than individual participants when they participate with their family members. Each family is allowed to participate with two of their children below 14 years old.” More than 28,000 Dubai residents took part in this initiative in July.
Campaign coordinator and Head of Dubai Municipality Club Waleed Al Shaibani said, “Children must get medical advice from the nutritionists on sites prior to registering for the contest in order to confirm their fitness to participate.” Surprisingly, a lot of participants stated that it wasn’t about winning gold. Areefin Babu, a 28 year old Indian engineer, said, “The ultimate aim is to lose weight and get healthy.”
Munir Hamad, a physician working in Dubai, shared, “Obesity leads to many other diseases, like hypertension and diabetes. It’s a lifestyle disease and a problem all over the world. In rich countries like the UAE, people use cars; they don’t walk, don’t exercise enough. We need to raise awareness. If we can give awareness to families now, especially children, it means less disease in the future.”
The organizers have plans to award the 7,350 winners their prize during a ceremony scheduled for December in Dubai’s Zabeel Park. Al Shaibani stated, “The sheer number of winners makes the planning and execution of the grand finale more difficult. We are still in the process of making all the arrangements. We chose December because the weather will be perfect for outdoor functions.”
So would you participate in the upcoming contest?