Dubai gyms to be star-rated announces Dubai Sports Council

Image: Dubai Sports Council

Dubai Sports Council announced that fitness centres and gyms in the emirate will be rated based on a classification system.

The council has approved the criteria and indicators of the fitness centre classification system, the first of its kind to be implemented in the country.

The evaluation system will be denoted through a star-rating, the highest being five.

The Dubai Sports Council said the star-rating system has been set-up in consultation with international fitness experts, to enhance professionalism in the fitness industry and raise the service quality of Dubai’s gyms and fitness centres.

The classification criteria and special indicators were adopted while evaluating Dubai’s fitness centres and considering all aspects of work. The rankings will be released later this year after the Dubai Sports Council completes the evaluation of centres who have met the requirements.

Embracing international standards and best practices, #Dubai_Sports_Council has introduced the world’s first-ever classification system for fitness centers. Developed in collaboration with international fitness experts pic.twitter.com/YsvK60OfCs

— Dubai Sports Council (@DubaiSC) July 6, 2023

Evaluation criteria for gyms and fitness centres

The classification system includes 17 criteria and 82 sub-indicators through which qualified teams evaluate fitness centres based in the emirate. The system was presented at the Middle East Fitness Summit in October 2022.

The evaluation includes 17 criteria; types of equipment; equipment maintenance; sports facilities; cleanliness; insurance and safety; recovery features; ratio of instructors/ members; certification of instructors; personal training services; retention rate & membership racking system (membership renewals vs leavers and membership access system); group fitness classes; community and anti-doping awareness; physical activity readiness questionnaire; nutrition; parking availability; general satisfaction for members and staff; and speciality services presented to members.
The criteria included the quality of the facility, the quality and variety of devices used, the number and qualification levels of trainers at each fitness centre, the percentage of trainees under each trainer, the safety procedures used, insurance for the facility and the trainees, competence and experience in dealing with emergency injuries during training and applying the trainees’ safety requirements.

The Dubai Sports Council has also made anti-doping awareness a priority, in addition to the centre managing the development of each trainee’s condition and the presence of medical and physical files on each member.

Evaluation criteria guide

The Council has developed a guide for fitness centres and clarifies to the owners and management the specifications of the model centres, the criterion and indicators through which the evaluation process is conducted.

It also raises the level of services provided to the participants, which contributes to enhancing the health, vitality, and activity of trainees, their happiness, and their participation in the community movement, as well as strengthening the relationship between the various components of society.

In the guide, the indicators for each criterion were identified and explained, which qualify any fitness centre to receive a category of five stars or less according to the approved standard indicators after applying the appropriate model for each criterion, only after they were studied and ensured they could be applied. These would be employed in the current work environment for the health and safety of each trainee and to achieve the greatest benefit for registered members and the community.