UAE Launch event · January 2026

Olympic Weightlifting Workshop with Oleksiy Torokhtiy.

How we planted SAS Coaching Diploma in Dubai. An 18-hour Olympic weightlifting certification at Desert Barbell, taught by a 2012 Olympic Champion. The opening act for our UAE program. NASM CPT Cohort 1 picks up the thread in Q4 2026.

Desert Barbell Dubai 24-25 January 2026 18 hours

The launch story

The opening act for SAS in the UAE.

In January 2026, SAS Coaching Diploma ran its first ever workshop in the UAE: an 18-hour Olympic weightlifting certification taught by Oleksiy Torokhtiy, 2012 Olympic Champion in the 105 kg class and a multiple-time World Champion. We held it at Desert Barbell in Dubai over two days, with personal trainers, coaches, CrossFit athletes and beginners working through the full snatch and clean and jerk progression.

This was the soft launch for the SAS Coaching Diploma platform in the UAE market. The recurring program follows in Q4 2026 with the NASM Certified Personal Trainer cohort, delivered in Dubai with a KHDA-attested SAS Coaching Diploma added on top. Cohort 1 is exclusively AED 5,499, the Founding Cohort price. The usual price is AED 6,499.

NASM CPT Cohort 1 · Dubai · Founding price UAE programs

Event facts

At a glance.

Headline coach

Oleksiy Torokhtiy

London 2012 Olympic Champion (105 kg) · multiple-time World Champion · Ukraine

Where + when

Desert Barbell, Dubai

24-25 January 2026 · 18 hours over two days

Format

Hands-on certification

Full snatch and clean and jerk progression. Open to PTs, coaches, CrossFit athletes, beginners.

From the floor

Two days at Desert Barbell.

What's next in Dubai

NASM Certified Personal Trainer · Cohort 1 · Q4 2026.

The follow-up to our launch event. NASM CPT delivered in Dubai by SAS Coaching Diploma, with a KHDA-attested diploma on graduation. Cohort 1 is exclusively AED 5,499, the Founding Cohort price. The usual price is AED 6,499.