Determined Othmann El-Attar and a trio of supporters successfully climbed the height of one of the Bahrain Financial Harbour towers at his home near Zinj today in support of an amazing sporting feat being carried out by a father and son duo in Dubai.
Autistic Othmann El-Attar had been working out daily and stepped forward after being told of a 'stay at home' challenge his family spotted on GDNlife, our social media platform.
“I’m so happy we did it!” said the 24-year-old son of Christine Gordon and Dr Emad El-Attar, who founded the RIA Institute Bahrain, an inclusive education centre that caters to the needs of students with special needs.
The harbour tower is 21.5 flights of 50 steps and Othmann was joined by his mum, RIA supporter Sarah Clarke and GDNonline editor Stanley Szecowka for the challenge, each racing up and down five times in relay fashion, with a combined effort on the final leg.
Tomorrow Rio Watson, a 'Person of Determination' who has a rare chromosome disorder, will be strapped to dad Nick’s back as the pair ascend - and descend - a total of 829m (2,722ft) in one continuous climb-a-thon, the equivalent of climbing the world’s tallest tower, the Burj Khalifa.
As part of the initiative Nick and Rio have been encouraging people from all over the world to get involved and take on their own climb-a-thon, by picking an iconic landmark and virtually scaling it.
The Climb With Rio challenge, aimed to inspire people to stay safe and stay fit during the Covid-19 pandemic and they said they were ‘delighted’ Othmann had decided to fly the flag for Bahrain.
Mr Watson, a British expat, explained: “Our motto has always been togetherness and inclusivity, so the Climb With Rio challenge is our way of bringing people together at a time when many of us are being asked to stay apart.”
Othmann’s team could not agree more.
“RIA Centre and Baloo’s Buddies like to support and give back to the community whenever we can,” explained Christine. “This was also a fabulous opportunity to do just that and demonstrate that you don’t need to be a super athlete to set a fitness goal and achieve it.”
