Canadian University Dubai (CUD), the Canadian Consulate in Dubai, and the Canadian Business Council of Dubai and the Northern Emirates have joined together to mark the conclusion of the fifth annual Dubai 30X30 Fitness Challenge with a community participation event under the banner ‘Try with Canada’.
In collaboration with the Community Events Section of Dubai Sports Council, the Canadian partners invited people of any age and ability to get involved in the final weekend of this year’s initiative by joining in an early morning yoga session at Kite Beach. Led by a professional instructor from Lululemon, more than 35 participants joined in the physical fitness challenge.
Among the participants was Mr. Brian Banford, Executive Director of Corporate Relationships at CUD, who remarked, “It’s a wonderful experience, to be doing yoga on a beach with a group of Canadians.”
Also in attendance at the event were Kurt Peter Hanzlik of the Canadian Business Council of Dubai and the Northern Emirates; Ahmad Ibrahim Busherin, Head of Community Events Section, Sports Events Department, Dubai Sports Council; Alison McLaughlin, RD, MPH, Nutrition and Yoga Professional and Lululemon Ambassador; Jennifer Cigana of the Transformation Management Office at Al-Futtaim Private Company LLC; and Alex Sabino-Ifill, Project Coordinator, Canada@EXPO 2020 Dubai, Consulate General of Canada.
The yoga session followed on from another ‘Try with Canada’ challenge staged earlier in Dubai’s month-long celebration of fitness and wellbeing. The previous gathering brought together participants of all ages from across the city to take part in a family walk and run at the Sports Village beach.
Reflecting on the events, H.E. Jean-Philippe Linteau, Consul General of Canada in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, said, “I am pleased to see that the Canadian community and partners in Dubai have come together to contribute to the success of the Dubai 30X30 Fitness Challenge 2021. We share with the Dubai Government, the conviction that fitness is an essential element of wellness, especially in the context of the pandemic. With more than 40,000 Canadians that call the UAE home, I look forward to more collaboration with the Dubai Sports Council.”
