Sara bin Karam laces up her skates, hoping to find a bit of space. In the brief window of time between recreational ice hockey and an open session for amateur skaters, she looks for a corner to squeeze in some practice.
The Emirati figure skater from Abu Dhabi, aged 13, is preparing to compete in the Union Figure Skating Trophy – running from Thursday to Sunday – at Zayed Sports City. The international competition will feature men and women in novice, junior and senior categories over four days.
One of five ice skaters in the UAE national squad, Sara will compete in the intermediate novice category on Friday, aiming to be crowned the UAE national champion. To achieve that she needs to be the highest-placed UAE skater in her category. She hopes to win a medal, but her ambitions for the sport go beyond personal success.
“I hope I can inspire people to start the sport in the UAE because I want it to be very popular,” she tells The National. “Football – everybody's talking about it. It's in school and everything. But skating – nobody knows what it is. So, I really hope it can become more popular.”
Although the UAE hasn't traditionally been a hotbed for athletes pursuing winter sports, that hasn't dampened Sara's dream.
She recalls watching the 2018 Winter Olympics with her father and seeing Russia’s Alina Zagitova win women’s figure skating gold. Although Sara was only six, the performance left an impression on her and she asked her father if she could sign up for ice skating lessons. While he initially agreed, the idea was soon forgotten.
Two years later, a Canadian cartoon show called Max & Ruby depicting figure skating characters reignited her interest. It looked easy, she recalls. Soon, she had signed up for lessons and what began as a hobby eventually turned into a more serious endeavour.
“When I was skating for fun, I needed the penguin. I needed somebody to hold my hand,” she says. “When I took lessons, it was easy to skate at first, but when I got older and started jumping, obviously, it got harder.”
As she got stronger, rather than participate in the sport recreationally, Sara wanted to compete. Despite setbacks that included a knee injury and the Covid-19 pandemic, she eventually took part in her first international competition in Malaysia in 2022. She hasn't looked back since.
As a Year 9 student at Abu Dhabi’s Al Yasmina Academy, Sara has a busy schedule. In addition to her studies, she dedicates hours to training – sometimes up to five or six during the weekends – going to different emirates to look for a quiet ice rink that allows her enough space for her spins and jumps. She's so devoted that her only day off during a typical week is a Wednesday.
“Her commitment is amazing,” says Sara’s mother, Ameerah. “Sara will get on the ice and do three, four hours of training.”
Sara isn’t the first Emirati to compete in the sport – that honour belongs to Zahra Lari – but she hopes to extend the pathway that Lari paved. Now retired, Lari's accolades include being the world’s first figure skater to compete in a hijab as well as being the UAE’s first figure skater to compete in qualification events for the Winter Olympics in 2018.
These days, she is the co-founder and chief executive of Emirates Skating Club, an association that has been greatly beneficial to Sara and other aspiring skaters in the UAE.
Sara recalls how Lari influenced her, especially when she was younger and still developing her skills. She even had the opportunity to be coached by the former UAE champion for a time. While she now works with a different coach, Ukrainian Luda Kalenuk, she remains in touch with Lari, who continues to support and follow her progress.
Her mother, Ameerah, credits Kalenuk with having a strong and positive impact on her daughter's development, on and off the ice. “Sara's confidence and communication skills have improved significantly under coach Luda's guidance over a year and a half,” says Ameerah.
She adds: “She speaks more of her mind as well. She had a very difficult time actually telling the coaches how she felt and how she understood information. I think she's more confident with coach Luda. They have a very friendly banter situation, which is nice. It's like a good friendship.”
In addition to the Union Figure Skating Trophy, Sara also plans to later compete in the ISU Junior Grand Prix, which will be held for the first time in Abu Dhabi in October. She was supposed to make her debut in that event last year, but an injury kept her away.
Sara is fully expecting to feel some pressure when she competes in front of a home crowd in Abu Dhabi, but she knows there will also be a lot of pride. The friends she’s made from international competitions will get to see what the UAE is like – some for the first time. She’ll also have a big group of supporters in the stands to cheer her on.
“Her father always supports her, and I always support her. Our family is very proud of her,” says Ameerah. “All her cousins will come. She has 24, so all of them will be here.”
Sara would one day like to proudly raise the country’s flag at a major international competition.
“I really hope to go to the World Championships. The Olympics are every four years, but Worlds are every year, so I feel like it's more of a possibility,” she says. “It would be really nice to have the UAE represented at the Worlds.”
While her goals may be ambitious, they align with her dreams of raising the sport's profile in the UAE. For those who want to follow a similar path, she has a simple message.
“Don't give up because, when you fall, when you don't manage to do things, it can really demotivate you, but you will soon realise the next day it will be like the easiest thing ever,” says Sara. “That’s skating. One day it's really hard, the next day it's really easy. So, it will come eventually. Just don't give up.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
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The biog
Full name: Aisha Abdulqader Saeed
Age: 34
Emirate: Dubai
Favourite quote: "No one has ever become poor by giving"
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Racecard
5pm: Al Maha Stables – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m
6pm: Emirates Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m
6.30pm: Emirates Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m
7pm: The President’s Cup – Group 1 (PA) Dh2,500,000 (T) 2,200m
7.30pm: The President’s Cup – Listed (TB) Dh380,000 (T) 1,400m
The biog
Name: Greg Heinricks
From: Alberta, western Canada
Record fish: 56kg sailfish
Member of: International Game Fish Association
Company: Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Naga
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
How Voiss turns words to speech
The device has a screen reader or software that monitors what happens on the screen
The screen reader sends the text to the speech synthesiser
This converts to audio whatever it receives from screen reader, so the person can hear what is happening on the screen
A VOISS computer costs between $200 and $250 depending on memory card capacity that ranges from 32GB to 128GB
The speech synthesisers VOISS develops are free
Subsequent computer versions will include improvements such as wireless keyboards
Arabic voice in affordable talking computer to be added next year to English, Portuguese, and Spanish synthesiser
Partnerships planned during Expo 2020 Dubai to add more languages
At least 2.2 billion people globally have a vision impairment or blindness
More than 90 per cent live in developing countries
The Long-term aim of VOISS to reach the technology to people in poor countries with workshops that teach them to build their own device
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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The years Ramadan fell in May
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
RESULTS
5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: Samau Xmnsor, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Ottoman, Szczepan Mazur, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Sharkh, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 85,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Yaraa, Fernando Jara, Majed Al Jahouri
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Maaly Al Reef, Bernardo Pinheiro, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Jinjal, Fabrice Veron, Ahmed Al Shemaili
8pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Al Sail, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Iftar programme at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding
Established in 1998, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding was created with a vision to teach residents about the traditions and customs of the UAE. Its motto is ‘open doors, open minds’. All year-round, visitors can sign up for a traditional Emirati breakfast, lunch or dinner meal, as well as a range of walking tours, including ones to sites such as the Jumeirah Mosque or Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.
Every year during Ramadan, an iftar programme is rolled out. This allows guests to break their fast with the centre’s presenters, visit a nearby mosque and observe their guides while they pray. These events last for about two hours and are open to the public, or can be booked for a private event.
Until the end of Ramadan, the iftar events take place from 7pm until 9pm, from Saturday to Thursday. Advanced booking is required.
For more details, email openminds@cultures.ae or visit www.cultures.ae
