Yevhen Kovalov outlines Olympic ambitions for UAE's figure skating team

UAE figure skating coach Yevhen Kovalov has his sights set on a place for the national team at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. If the Ukrainian succeeds, it will be the first time the UAE will qualify for a Winter Games. Kovalov has already earmarked three potential candidates to make history for the country: leading Emirati figure skater Zahra Lari and two rising stars Dhiyab Al Darmaki and Thea Abou Diwan. Lari, 25, is the first Emirati figure skater to compete internationally and the first woman to compete wearing the hijab. Al Darmaki, 14, is the first Emirati male in figure skating while Abou Diwan, 12 and born to Lebanese parents in Dubai, becomes eligible to represent the country of her birth. "Zahra is the face of Emirati figure skating. Dhiyab is unique as the first Emirati male figure skater. Thea not only competes regularly in the European circuit but she is achieving the top three spots," Kovalov told The National . " "She's [Zahra] very disciplined and committed in her work, and is pursuing of her dream to become the first Emirati Olympian in figure skating. I really admire what she already has achieved and hopefully she will fulfill her dream." Kovalov, 27, moved to the UAE in 2014 after spending a year in Cyprus. “I travelled with one of my pupils from Cyprus to win a competition in Abu Dhabi and was offered to come down and coach in the Emirates,” he said. “I worked in Dubai for four months and was appointed coach of the Emirates Skating Club along with a contract with the UAE Winter Sports Federation.” The Emirates Skating Club, the first club founded in the UAE, is open to all nationalities and has over 100 members. “Here we have skaters of all ages and various levels,” Kovalov said. “We have a pool of figure skaters for the national team but only Zahra, Dhiyab and Thea are in the high performance squad. There are two more girls from Dubai and Al Ain but they haven’t taken part in any competitions yet. “Then there are also those who fly down from abroad for short camps and consultations.” Nels Ireholm is one of those pupils. From Sweden, he placed sixth in the Swedish Junior Championship last December. Meriana Rihia-Tamaki, 11, who lives with her parents in Abu Dhabi, represented New Zealand in the South Island Figure Skating Championship 2019. “I have been training here for more than five years and want to become a national figure skater for New Zealand,” Miriana said. Training on ice was severely disrupted after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the refurbishment of the Zayed Sports City Ice Rink. “Unfortunately we have been unable to train on ice since March,” Kovalov said. “Hopefully, we may start from September when the ice rink is ready to reopen after the refurbishing. “Most of the figure skaters train off ice these days. It has of course affected the training and the competitions, in which they were to take part. “At the moment, we don’t know when the international competitions will resume. We will continue our training off ice to keep them in good shape. Right now, the situation dictates us. During his time as a figure skater, Kovalov reached the top five in Ukraine as a junior, but decided to take up coaching at 16 years old. “The competition was too tough back in Ukraine and I got into coaching early as an assistant,” he said. “When I was competing, I had spent around five hours seven days a week. “The ideal age to start figure skating is from around three to four. “Skaters come from every age and every level to me and my goal is not only to coach but motivate them. “Sometimes parents bring their kids just to do the basics. Some parents want their kids to do for recreation and they train twice or thrice a week, but for those who want to reach a higher level, it definitely has to be a daily routine."

Yevhen Kovalov outlines Olympic ambitions for UAE's figure skating team

National team coach believes the Emirates can have a bright future in the sport