“In Dubai, figure skating is like camel racing for us. You are unlikely to want to send children to this sport” – Komolov

Choreographer Sergei Komolov, who lives in Dubai, said in an interview with that in the United Arab Emirates figure skating is considered exotic and no one is interested except for Russian-speaking residents.

Komolov in Dubai trains two representatives of the Cypriot national team – Stefania Yakovleva and Marilena Kitromilis. In May, it became known that Komolov delivered the short program “Vostok” to Russian junior champion Alina Gorbacheva. Previously, he also directed the short program “Pushkin” for Matvey Vetlugin.

— You now live and train in Dubai. Tell me about the local figure skating industry.

– A mistake has already been made. There is no figure skating industry in Dubai. There are three ice rinks, two of which are in shopping malls. You can’t train independent skaters there, you absolutely have to open a club. One in two people cannot open a business there. First you need to get a residence, a residence permit, then register a business, open accounts, etc.

The key point is that in Dubai, figure skating, except for Russian speakers, is not necessary for anyone. Figure skating is not considered a sport in Dubai. The most popular sport is camel racing. For the locals, figure skating is like a camel race for you. You are unlikely to want to send your children to this sport.

– So they find you exotic? During the training, the video is probably filmed?

– They stop, take photos, record videos, it’s beautiful, good content for social networks. In Dubai, nobody knows that figure skating is included in the program of winter Olympic sports, for them it does not matter. If they send their children to school, they do so on the principle of a hobby. Here they buy a subscription for ten lessons, but they will only come three times a month, because the rest of the time will be occupied with the piano or something else. After all, you can fall on the ice, it’s cool there, the coaches are from the USSR, they can force you to do something, who needs it … So they kinda look alike and s stop.

– And I thought you could train a sheikh’s child and earn a lot of money.

“The sheikh’s child definitely doesn’t need it. Of all the activities that exist only in the world, he will try figure skating last,” Komolov told .