Fitness industry demands policy action

Two of the region’s leading health and fitness professionals have called for unification within the industry, to help stamp out unqualified, unprofessional and uninsured practitioners.

Speaking exclusively to HME.com, Original Fitness Co’s managing director Corey Oliver, said he would welcome the suggestions and input of fellow health and fitness colleagues in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, interested in forming such a group.

“We could sit down once per month and just try and formulate some kind of regulations laws and rules, then go to the government and say: “Here’s what we’d like to do, we want to start a committee for health and fitness, and this is how we’d like to go about it,” he explained.

“I’d like to ask the government to endorse the committee, which would ideally include people from different demographics, people that manage spas, people that own fitness companies, manage gyms, and a diverse array of well-respected people.

“I think company owners and operators feel hard done by, because there isn’t a structure in place. We do the right thing ... then these cowboys come here and train clients without having to pay for or complete their qualifications.”

Although many of the UAE’s fitness professionals share desire for local governments to impose strict training and safety standards, the industry must help decide precisely which standards should be adopted.

Impact Fitness managing director, Amanda Brewer, said her company provides Central YMCA Qualification training in the UAE, however pushing that training within the local industry had proved to be a slow process.

“People get confused as to what the ideal standards are here, I think that’s the problem,” she said.

“For instance, in America, the ACE Fitness qualification is fantastic and it’s very well scrutinised and assessed. Out here, it doesn’t have those vigorous assessment and quality procedures.

“When you look at things like the Les Mills products, out here you don’t need to be a teacher to teach them, you just go on a module whereas in the rest of the world, you can’t do that.”

Oliver has called for anyone interested in discussing industry regulation to contact him at Original Fitness Co.