Cover-up at Bangladesh’s first bodybuilding contest for women
- Muslim-majority nation holds its first physique competition where contestants kept their brawn under wraps to prevent controversy
- Organisers told contestants that they would be a ‘proper dress code’ in landmark women’s competition
Bangladesh’s first women’s bodybuilding championship was won by a 19-year-old student in a contest where most of her muscle was covered up to prevent controversy in the Muslim-majority nation.
While skimpy bikinis are the norm at international bodybuilding contests, Awhona Rahman and her 29 rivals kept their brawn under wraps in front of the crowd of hundreds.
Rahman and the other competitors struck poses on stage wearing tight leggings and body-hugging outfits during the three-day event that finished on Sunday and was held in the capital Dhaka.
“I am really happy, I really worked hard for this,” Rahman said.
“It never entered my mind that someone might criticise me for showing my body. My brother, who runs a fitness centre, has always encouraged me,” she added.