Dubai Caught Off Guard With Weight Loss Challenge, Giving Away About $1.5 Million In Gold
It pays to lose weight, just ask the 7,350 Dubai residents who participated in this year’s municipal weight loss challenge and who will now be rewarded with gold coins.According to news reports the Dubai municipal government will give away almost 40 kilograms of gold, worth more than $1.5 million -- at Thursday’s spot price of around $1,197 per ounce, as of 11:42 a.m EDT -- to citizens who participated and dropped at least two kilograms of weight during the summer’s weight loss challenge.
However, the weight-loss winners will have to wait until December to collect their golden prizes as the municipality, had to delay the awards ceremony. According to news reports, the city had to arrange for more gold coins to give to the participants.
"This is much more than the number of winners we had last year," said Dubai Municipality Club's Manager, Waleed Al Shaibani in an interview with the Khaleej Times.
The weight-loss challenge, which was dubbed “Your Child’s Weight In Gold” ran from July 15 to Sept. 15 and completely surpassed the previous year’s challenge where the city gave away more than 17 kilograms of gold.
Under the rules of the 2014 challenge, Dubai residents who lost more than two kilograms of weight earned one gram of gold for each kilo. However, the unique twist this year, was that for children and families who lost weight together earned two grams of gold per kilo.
In 2013, the biggest loser in Dubai lost 26kg of weight but according to reports that record will be broken this year. Al Shaibani said in the interview that there were people who lost almost 30 kilos of weight. |
