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Iraq`s top gym is `Arnold Classic`
Baghdad, Oct 08: Iraq`s top gym has changed its name to `The Arnold Classic` to honour ex-bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger`s win in the California governor`s race.
Baghdad, Oct 08: Iraq's top gym has changed its name to "The Arnold Classic" to honour ex-bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger's win in the California governor's race.
The victory even had some Iraqis -- long ruled by another strongman, Saddam Hussein, until his ouster in April by U.S.-led forces -- calling for a new leader in Schwarzenegger's mould.
Thousands of U.S. troops in Iraq, dubbed "Arnie's army" after the movie star visited them on America's July 4 independence day, were also elated.
Fans urged the Austrian-born Schwarzenegger to follow in the footsteps of Ronald Reagan to the White House, although this can only be a dream for him under current constitutional rules barring foreign-born citizens from becoming president.
But It was gym owner Sabah Mehdi's snap decision to change the name of his downtown Baghdad training facility from "Elegant Bodies" to "The Arnold Classic" that shone the clearest light on the cult-like following Schwarzenegger enjoys in Iraq.
From the man-in-the-street to aspiring bodybuilders sweating to lift weights, Schwarzenegger has long been a near icon in the country.
His musclebound image hangs above the front door of Mehdi's gymnasium, but posters of Schwarzenegger's sculpted body going back to the 1970s adorn not only gyms but shops, restaurants and petrol stations.
His appeal has survived unscathed wars waged by the United States on Iraq, making him the envy of American policymakers in their own uphill efforts to win the hearts and minds of Iraqis.
"Before anything he is a champion. He is above anything," Mehdi told Reuters at his gym, where the country's top weightlifters and other athletes have long trained.
"He was a champion in sport. He was a star of the movies. So it is no surprise that he is a champion politician. I am renaming my gym 'The Arnold Classic' from today," Mehdi said. "We need a strongman, a leader like him, in our country at this moment."
Bureau Report
Thousands of U.S. troops in Iraq, dubbed "Arnie's army" after the movie star visited them on America's July 4 independence day, were also elated.
Fans urged the Austrian-born Schwarzenegger to follow in the footsteps of Ronald Reagan to the White House, although this can only be a dream for him under current constitutional rules barring foreign-born citizens from becoming president.
But It was gym owner Sabah Mehdi's snap decision to change the name of his downtown Baghdad training facility from "Elegant Bodies" to "The Arnold Classic" that shone the clearest light on the cult-like following Schwarzenegger enjoys in Iraq.
From the man-in-the-street to aspiring bodybuilders sweating to lift weights, Schwarzenegger has long been a near icon in the country.
His musclebound image hangs above the front door of Mehdi's gymnasium, but posters of Schwarzenegger's sculpted body going back to the 1970s adorn not only gyms but shops, restaurants and petrol stations.
His appeal has survived unscathed wars waged by the United States on Iraq, making him the envy of American policymakers in their own uphill efforts to win the hearts and minds of Iraqis.
"Before anything he is a champion. He is above anything," Mehdi told Reuters at his gym, where the country's top weightlifters and other athletes have long trained.
"He was a champion in sport. He was a star of the movies. So it is no surprise that he is a champion politician. I am renaming my gym 'The Arnold Classic' from today," Mehdi said. "We need a strongman, a leader like him, in our country at this moment."
Bureau Report