« Previous | Main | Next »

Iraq's National Body Building Championship

September 04, 2008 5:10 AM

By ALI HUSSEIN, ABC News, Baghdad

The southern city of Najaf has just hosted Iraq’s 2008 National Body Building Championship. This was the first time I’d been to anything like a body-building contest, and I wasn’t really sure what to expect. The backstage moments were particularly eye opening -- muscle-bound men slathering fake tan on one another.

One coach, when he saw my camera, yelled at his protege to pose, and you can see from this photo that he was only too happy to do so.

There was a real sense of excitement among the contestants. This was their big day.

And it was also a big day for those in the audience. While body building is not exactly mainstream in Iraq, it has a very loyal following, and spectators came from all over the country to watch. The journey for many would not have been without risk.

Despite the sweltering heat, the audience was in high spirits as it cheered for its favorite contestants. The temperature in the hall easily reached at least 110 degrees F. Air conditioning for the event was out of the question due to an electricity shortage, still a common problem throughout Iraq. Baghdad these days gets only between four and five hours of power a day.

You can see what a mess I was after an hour or so in the hall!

Still, everyone enjoyed the competition, and the winners went away with proud smiles on their faces.

September 4, 2008 in Ali Al Mashakheel | Permalink | User Comments (0)

User Comments

Post a comment

Name:

Email Address:

URL:

Remember personal info?

Comments: