Engineer Mohammed Bin Majed, Chairman of the Organising Committee, receives Dr. Rafael Santonja, IFBB President.

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The UAE’s biggest three-day bodybuilding and fitness competition—the International Federation of Fitness and Bodybuilding (IFBB) Mr and Mrs. World Championships—begins in Fujairah on Thursday.

Registration and weigh-in for the Amateur and Elite Pro took place on the opening day at the Novotel Hotel Fujairah, with physique, classic physique, bodybuilding, and fit model categories in focus.

On the second day, the bodybuilding, physique, and classic physique competitions for amateurs will be held. Following this, the winners from each weight category will advance to the professionals’ competition.

The semi-finals and finals of both the Amateur and Elite Pro categories of the IFBB Mr and Ms World Championships will take place on Friday and Saturday.

The seven weight categories in which the bodybuilding contestants will participate are 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100 kg, and open weight. Physique contestants will participate in the ‘below 172cm’, ‘below 174cm’, ‘below 176cm’, and ‘above 176cm’ height categories. Classic physique contestants will participate in the ‘below 171cm’, ‘below 175cm’ and ‘open’ categories.

On Saturday at 4 pm, the women’s competitions for the ‘Fit Model’ category will be held, followed by the professional competitions for bodybuilders in the ‘below 95 kg’ and ‘open weight’ categories as well as ‘open weight’ for physique and classic physique.

The Mr and Mrs. World Amateur and Professional Bodybuilding Championships will be held under the patronage of Sheikh Abdullah Bin Hamad Bin Saif Al Sharqi, president of the UAE Federation for BodyBuilding and Fitness.

Engineer Mohammed Bin Majed, Director-General of the Department of Industry and Economy in Fujairah and Chairman of the Organising Committee, lauded the committed efforts of the sub-committees in assuring the success of the largest bodybuilding championship hosted in the UAE as well as the Middle East. He continued by saying that this championship is a significant addition to the various bodybuilding competitions held in Fujairah.

“The championship has international recognition and is attended by top competitors from all over the world, as well as a sizable audience and prominent figures,” Engineer Mohammed added.

Khalil Maarouf, head of the championships, said: "Under the guidance of Engineer Mohammed Bin Majed we went to such great lengths to organise a tournament of this level in accordance with global best practices.”

Khalil highlighted the efficient preparation of the involved parties in every administrative, managerial, and technical area and expressed his gratitude to Engineer Mohammed, for effectively monitoring and providing the necessary conditions for success, given that this significant championship hosted for the first time in Fujairah, is bigger than any previous international competitions that have taken place in the Emirate.

"The bodybuilding sport is growing in popularity year on year in the UAE, and we are proud to have organized the IFBB Mr and Mrs. World Championships for the first time in the UAE and one of the biggest competitions in the region, and we want to make sure this will go down as a memorable one for the participants and fans," added Khalil. More than 700 athletes representing 100 countries are taking part in the championships.