Abu Dhabi authorities launch ‘Active Parks’ community fitness program

Authorities in Abu Dhabi have announced a new community fitness program to encourage people to exercise regularly and pursue an active, outdoor lifestyle by leveraging the Emirate’s public parks and urban green spaces.

Abu Dhabi’s Department of Community Development (DCD), in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Sports Council along with the municipalities of Abu Dhabi city, Al Ain city, and Al Dhafrah region, and Community Management Department - Al Dhafrah Region Affairs (ADNOC), will stage the four-week program - called ‘Active Parks’ - which will run from today (30th December) to 26th January 2022.

Central to DCD’s ongoing efforts to promote sports and physical activity across the community, the Active Parks initiative will see dozens of qualified instructors lead communities through more than 380 free-to-attend sessions in 12 parks and urban spaces across the Emirate.

Advising that the program aims to encourage “hHealthier and happier lifestyles” Mohamed Helal Al Balooshi, Executive Director of the Strategic Affairs Office at DCD, stated “in line with Abu Dhabi’s vision to build and nurture an active community committed to practicing sports, DCD and Abu Dhabi Sports Council are actively cooperating to foster an expansive and fully-regulated sports ecosystem across the emirate.

“Our newest collaborative initiative, Active Parks, is a strategic platform which aims to cultivate healthier and happier lifestyles and stronger social communities by encouraging the pursuit of regular fitness regimes in the abundant green spaces in Abu Dhabi’s world-class integrated infrastructure.”

Talal Mustafa AL Hashemi, Executive Director of Sports Developments Sector at Abu Dhabi Sports Council, added “this is an inclusive initiative that is open to everyone in the community. The objective is to increase regular exercise by providing structured free-to-attend classes led by a team of qualified coaches.

“We do not want people to feel out of place, or overly conscious, which is why we are rolling out a dedicated schedule of activities to cater for a range of abilities across parks in their own communities.”

During the month-long Active Parks program, being provided for anyone from the 15 years and above, communities will be able to access a wide range of healthy activities including DanceFit, RunFit, Bootcamps, CrossFit, and Yoga, with special classes for people of determination. A full schedule of classes is available on the Active Parks website, while participants can share their progress by using #ActiveParks on social media.

Active Parks will run across a dozen parks and urban spaces, including Madinat Zayed, Al Ruwais Park 2 and Al Mirfa National Park in Al Dhafra Region; Al Jahili and Al Towayya Parks in Al Ain city; and Khalifa City Park 3, Sheikha Fatima Park, Dolphin Park, MBZ Park, Al Khaleej Al Arabi park, Electra Park and Al Shamkha Park 4 in Abu Dhabi city and surrounding areas.

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Image courtesy of Abu Dhabi’s Department of Community Development.