Ahmad bin Byat, Chairman, du, ranked first place in the Masters category of the Emirates Fitness Challenge in the age group 49-53, making him the nation’s fittest Emirati man in his group. Bin Byat was honoured for his achievement at the closing ceremony of the Emirates Fitness Challenge, which was held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, and sponsored by du.

The Emirates Fitness Challenge comes in line with the vision and directives of HH Sheikh Majid to raise awareness of the importance of exercising, health and promoting fitness across the UAE. Emiratis were invited to participate in qualifying rounds before battling it out to win their categories.

Speaking on his win, bin Byat said: “Participating in the competition proved an exciting challenge. Fitness, and sports, are essential for creating positive energy in our society, as well as for boosting personal health which leads to better productivity and being able to contribute more to the development of our society. As du, we support the vision of our leadership for a healthier nation through our national wellness campaign, Every Step Counts.

“At du, we are keen to establish a working environment that will encourage employees to adopt a lifestyle that will help them to stay healthy, both mentally and physically. We offer our employees use of our health club, provide healthy food options, and hold internal sports activities to encourage the adoption of a healthier lifestyle. This month we launched our employee health programme, as part of our Every Step Counts national wellness campaign, which will see our senior management, including myself, follow a strict wellbeing regimen. My participation in this, and in the Emirates Fitness Challenge, is to set an example to the UAE of the benefits of healthier living and to promote Every Step Counts. I would like to thank His Highness Sheikh Majid for the opportunity to participate.”

du’s support of the Emirates Fitness Challenge is aligned with the objectives of Every Step Counts. The latest initiative of the campaign is to promote wellness within the company, with the launch of an executive fitness programme that sees senior management prescribed wellbeing regimens.