Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, Ahmed Mahloof has announced that work is being done to open a gym dedicated to the national bodybuilding tea,.

The minister announced this via Twitter on Sunday, after meeting with the team that represented Maldives at the 12th South Asian Bodybuilding and Physique Championship.

At the championship held in Nepal earlier this month, Maldivian bodybuilders Mohamed Moosa, Ahmed Mahil Saeed and Azneen Rashan won gold medals -a first in the country’s history- while Ahmed Fazeel and Fathulla Mohamed won bronze.

The sports minister has also revealed that “a dedicated gym for the team will be opened soon, and that “a foreign coach will be appointed to the national team for the first time.”

Back in June, Maldives won the bid to host the 2020 Asian Bodybuilding and Physique Championship.

Announcing this, Mahloof said that around 400 athletes are expected to take part in the championship, and that the plan is “to host the event out of Malé City.