Russia and Egypt dominate IFBB Mr and Ms World Championships in Fujairah
- 09 Oct 2023
Gulf Today, Staff Reporter
The second edition of the IFBB Mr and Ms World Championships ended on a successful note in Fujairah, with participation from top athletes across the world.
The three-day prestigious championships for amateurs and professionals took place under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah, and were held at the Zayed Sports Complex.
On Thursday, the opening day of the championships, Dr. Rafael Santonja, President of the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB), declared the Emirate of Fujairah as the World Bodybuilding Capital, in recognition and appreciation of the great and determined support from the government to the sports of bodybuilding, fitness, and healthy lifestyle through the years.
Following the thrilling contests on the final day, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Hamad Bin Saif Al Sharqi, Chairman of the Emirates Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation; Engineer Mohammed Bin Majed, Director-General of the Department of Industry and Economy in Fujairah; Khalil Mohammed Marouf, championships director; and Dr. Santonja gave away the prizes to the winners.
With two gold medals and a bronze, Russia finished on top, followed by Egypt with gold and silver.
The players from Nigeria, Belarus, Suriname, Portugal, America, Angola, and Belgium also received the medals.
Engineer Mohammed Obaid hailed the support of the Fujairah Crown Prince and termed it vital in achieving the highest levels of success.
He lauded the competition's exceptional technical levels, noting them as being of high caliber and in keeping with its tradition, as Fujairah has been hosting the bodybuilding competitions for the past 23 years.
Engineer Mohammed Obaid praised the cooperation between the Emirates Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation and the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness and the efforts of Khalil Marouf.
Faisal Al Zaabi, the Chairman of the Bodybuilding Referees Committee and international referee, Muhammad Shaheen Al Hosani, and Abdullah Jamal are the Emirati referees who took part in overseeing the competitions.
The IFBB commended the efforts of Emirati referees, who supervised the competitions.
Chairman of the Bodybuilding Referees Committee and international referees Faisal Al-Zaabi, Muhammad Shaheen Al Hosani, and Abdullah Jamal took part in overseeing the different competitions of the championships.
The IFBB also granted them a professional referee certificate at the international level.
Hosani appreciated the efforts of the Emirates Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation, which contributed towards the development of referees.
He also emphasized that the benefits of the professional certificate will be passed on to young referees in order to ensure the sustainability of sports.
Meanwhile, in the most prominent results, Nigeria’s David Ndokuro won the 95 kg gold in the professional category, followed by Elia Lokofutis of Belarus. Suriname’s Eddy Wilson won bronze.
In the above-95 kg weight category, Egyptian Ahmed Sayed Shaaban won the gold medal, followed by his compatriot Medhat Khalil, who won silver. Portugal’s Pedro won the bronze medal.
In the professional physique competition, Russia’s Vladimir Kostov won the gold. Dimitro Horobets of the US bagged silver, while Russia’s Mikhail Gabov settled for bronze.
In the classic physique professional category, Russia’s Oleg Shorubin clinched gold, Angola’s Yuri Costa took silver, and Belgium’s Joseph Peter claimed bronze.
