After the Jamaican bobsleigh team ... meet the Saudi ice skaters

Climate is against them, but the Kingdom’s intrepid rink champions are working hard to raise their profile

At first glance, ice skating is not an activity best suited to the Saudi climate; requiring, as it does, a lot of ice.

But just as the Jamaican bobsleigh team competed at the Olympics and inspired a Hollywood movie, so the Kingdom’s intrepid band of skaters are determined to attract the attention they feel they deserve.

As skater Raeah Al-Attas, 23, told Arab News: “I’m good at it, so why not?”

She added: “Whenever I am asked about what ice skating means to me, I will always say it means a lot because sometimes I feel like I can fly and do all the crazy moves I have in mind.”

Skaters in the Kingdom were using social media to publicize the sport, she said.

“Unfortunately the ice skating community is not receiving the attention it deserves, even if you are the best. So our duty is to raise awareness on social media and this is what we have been doing for the past 2 years.”

One of their success stories is Fadi Al-Ali, who has more than 175,000 followers on TikTok after less than a year on the platform performing his freestyle dances and extreme stunts.

His videos show him leaping over objects while spinning in mid-air, doing handstands and even breakdancing on ice.

“The fans are always appreciative of what I do, they’re very happy,” he told Arab News. “People are really encouraged to try ice skating because of my content.

“TikTok has become a platform that allowed me to share my passion for ice skating more than I could ever before. Everything is now open for anybody to make their dreams come true, it’s all about how willing you are to achieve it.

“It’s all about your imagination. What we imagine we apply on the ice. It’s as simple as that.”

TikTok has become a platform that allowed me to share my passion for ice skating more than I could ever before.