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Express Tribune
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Stricter Dubai visa policy troubles Pak bodybuilders
Mr Universe/ Mr World Rameez Ibrahim Khan (L) with Pakistani participant Jawwad Ahmed (C) and a team official at the Global Powerlifting Bodybuilding International in Dubai. PHOTO COURTESY: RIK PAGE Mr Universe/ Mr World Rameez Ibrahim Khan enjoyed a stellar success with his team when all four Pakistani participants won a total of 13 medals at the Global Powerlifting Bodybuilding International in Dubai. Rameez also represented Pakistan at the event, which featured more than 25 countries, as the head judge and a youngest one amongst them too. But the huge success by Pakistani squad including Sumair Ahmed, Furqan Raza, Jawwad Ahmed, and Anjum Warsi also left Rameez wondering how the accolades for Pakistan could be won if all of the contingent got the chance to participate in Dubai. He revealed that there were supposed to be 25 athletes from Pakistan who were to come, but due to stricter visa policy by Dubai authorities, we only got the approval for four, three bodybuilders and one powerlifter. But despite the drawback these four have stunned the world with their performances. "The event went very well with participants with more than 25 countries competing in different events, we were all socialising together, under one umbrella, but Pakistan had a great time both on the field and off it," Rameez told The Express Tribune. "As the youngest international judge I was feeling extremely proud with judges from Italy, Germany, Hungary, India, Egypt, Sri Lanka, when they were judging our athletes I was happy that our boys were impressing them." "But more importantly I was thinking how Pakistan could have completely dominated the event had the rest of the bodybuilders gotten their visas." But regardless of the drawback, Pakistan team won the points trophy too along with individual gold medals by all four participants. He also shared his vision for the future of bodybuilding and powerlifting in the country. "I will also compete in the future too," he explained. "I will take the teams and set Pakistan's history to help the next generation succeed on the international level. I have won many medals on my own, but in the last four years the teams that I have taken abroad to events in different countries, like taking three tours each year, I have gotten 60+ medals in these last 12 tours, most of them are gold and the rest are silver and bronze. No one has won accolades this quickly in bodybuilding, my aim is that athletes from all over Pakistan can get the opportunity to shine."
Express Tribune
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Bodybuilder Furqan bags gold, bronze in Dubai
Competition should not mean rivalry, and the very soft-spoken Furqan Raza's journey, triumph, and celebration after grabbing a gold medal and a bronze at the Global Powerlifting Bodybuilding International (GPBI) event in Dubai last week highlight this. On his international debut, a businessman by profession and athlete by passion, Furqan made the country proud as he emerged the winner by outperforming Indian, American and Russian bodybuilders in the final of the 45+ masters category. "When I was about to go out on the stage, I was demoralised, nervous, I was wondering why I left everything for this?" Furqan told this correspondent as he explained what was going through his mind during the competition, which was his first international outing, and he had won a domestic event on August 14th before this one. "But when I went on stage I performed and I had no idea I would be declared a winner out of the 25 athletes there. It was the greatest moment. I had that win on, we can Indian home ground because most of the crowd was Indian. "At first there were 25 competitors, then after elimination four were left towards the end, and I was declared a winner. There was such a roar in the hall and chants for Pakistan, it was an incredible moment." He also bagged a bronze medal in the lightweight natural bodybuilding category. Furqan began his bodybuilding journey after a long break at the behest of his wife who had joined Mr Universe/ Mr World Rameez Ibrahim Khan's gym. "My wife used to train with Rameez's sister and my wife encouraged me to return to sports. I used to train in the gym when I was a teenager, and when I was in Matric in 1998-99 I used to play cricket as well. Still, I got busy with studies, and then got busy building my own business, I have been very successful at it. And then I returned to the sport. I have also run the Karachi Marathon. "But this experience has been great and I train at Rameez's gym. The last few months before the GPBI we trained continuously and the hardest part has been the discipline and diet. You cannot eat anything else but boiled chicken, boiled eggs, steamed fish, and have some black coffee. But it all paid off beautifully in the end." Now celebrating the win with his family, friends, and colleagues, Furqan adds it has been a very empowering journey and the response only highlights the need for the youth to be more active and partake in sports, be it going to the gym regularly, running, swimming, etc." After the success with GPBI, Furqan is now targeting another international amateur event in Thailand and aims to beat Europeans who are bigger and better on stage. But when asked how was his experience with Indian athletes in Dubai, amidst the war horns blowing on both sides of the border, Furqan's reply was heartwarming. "I dedicate my medals to the law enforcement agencies of Pakistan. I am not worried about the war like that, but as people, as athletes, we were having dinner with the Indians, and we were exchanging our stories about migration at the time of Independence too, many had roots in Pakistan, and migrated to India, and so on and so forth, so among ourselves there was no animosity or bitterness. "I shook hands and celebrated with the Indian competitor who was on the stage and at the podium with me." Furqan added that there is a trend that more women are coming to the gym now and he is pleased to see the increase in awareness about fitness in the last few years. Along with Furqan, there were three other Pakistani participants at the championships. Jawwad Ahmed won three gold medals in the Senior bodybuilding event, Masters 40+, and overall title winner at the Dubai Amateur World championship. Anjum Warsi bagged three gold medals in the senior open powerlifting event, squat, bench press, and deadlift. He got two more gold medals in the powerlifting masters event and a silver. Meanwhile, Sumair Ahmed became the champion in junior physique and junior bodybuilding events. Rameez was also the head judge and the man behind GPBI Pakistan.
