The Battle

The Dis-Chem Living Fit Battle powered by Puma is one of Africa’s premier and most inclusive community-focused functional fitness events, and Biogen is playing its part in supporting athletes and the community as an Official Arena Partner for the weekend-long event.

Supporting the local fitness community

In 2024, the event celebrates 10 years of support for the local fitness community. Athletes will compete in two world-class arenas over three days from 6-8 September at Syringa Park in Muldersdrift, located at Avianto Estate.

The venue will also host athlete areas, the first-ever Battle community village, vendor stalls, and numerous amenities for spectators and supporters, including 14 pop-up restaurants, entertainment, and the largest kids’ play area in South Africa. 

Team Event

The traditional Battle Team Division remains the showcase during the Battle, allowing teams to compete in three potential competency levels: 

  1. Open 
  2. Scaled 
  3. Foundational  

Teams can also select from two Age Group Divisions: 

  1. Masters 35+ 
  2. Masters 45+

The Open team division, known as the Community Cup, allows gyms to put their fittest and strongest team forward to compete against the best teams in the country. At the end of the weekend, one ladies’ and one men’s team will earn the title of the fittest team on the continent.

Teams competing in the other divisions can consist of members from a combination of different gyms.

New Divisions

The 2024 event will also include mixed teams and functional fitness divisions for the first time. The Mixed division is an opportunity for competitors to compete under the lights in a mixed pair format, with one male and one female per team. These pairings can come from unrelated gyms.

The Functional Fitness division caters to the ultimate workhorses. Teams will need to work together to achieve various functional fitness goals, including running, biking, rowing, jumping, crawling, pushing and pulling sleds, carrying heavy loads, moving odd objects and more.

Event Formats

The team competition formats are programmed to allow every athlete to contribute towards the common goal – to dominate their competitors and allow every team member to shine under the bright arena lights. Athletes in the team divisions will be tested over all 5 fitness pillars identified by The Battle.

The Functional Fitness division will push team members to their limits, testing them across three fitness pillars identified by The Battle, namely cardiovascular endurance, functional fitness and teamwork. Teams will not be required to perform any Olympic weightlifting or gymnastics.

To learn more about The Battle, visit the website or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.