Author: Anthea » Wed Nov 20, 2013 3:00 pm
Did Kurds complain about this?

Young Kurdish men’s growing preoccupation with physical fitness and bodybuilding is fueling an explosion of gyms in the region, from gleaming, state-of-the-art health centres to clunky, alleyway weight rooms.
Most observers agree that the influence of western sport and culture and the growing idleness of young men, who in the past might have swelled the ranks of the Kurdish Peshmerga militia, is driving the fitness trend in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Just two decades ago there were only three gyms in the region. Today, by most estimates, there are at least 200 and the managers of the biggest ones in Erbil and Sulaimaniyah say their memberships have soared by more than 70 per cent in the last three years.
“Kurdish men now see gyms as a substitute for military training. I teach this new generation many of the good things I learned in the military, including bench presses, squats and other exercises. In the end, you view yourself in a different way. This is happening all over Kurdistan,” said Burhan Ali Joma, the head of the Kurdistan Bodybuilding Federation who opened Erbil Clubhouse Gym, the region’s first weight-lifting facility, in 1970.
These days, street corners and building facades in Sulaimaniyah and Erbil are plastered with competing advertisements for fitness centres. The facilities vary greatly but the larger ones are state-of-the-art, boasting floor-to-ceiling mirrors and cutting-edge equipment from Germany.
“People come to gyms because exercise is healthy. Some want to stay fit, some are sick and have been encouraged to exercise to stay healthy, and some want to build muscle. A lot of the new members are university students who want to make themselves stronger and more attractive,” Joma said.
The new gym culture has not been lost on the government or the women of Iraqi Kurdistan. Sherdil Tahsin, head of the Kurdistan parliament’s ten-member sports committee, said the regional authorities’ new budget includes ten billion dinars (8.4 million US dollars) for the development of sports facilities. He said the government was taking into account the popularity of gyms as the committee looks to allocate its resources.
My Name Is KURDISTAN And I Will Be FREE