Zahra Lari, the first professional figure skater to compete internationally wearing a headscarf

By Sarah Hassan, CNN

Updated 0420 GMT (1220 HKT) November 29, 2017

The United Arab Emirates is home to 22-year-old Zahra Lari, the first professional figure skater to compete internationally wearing the headscarf, and the first skater from a Persian Gulf state to participate in international figure skating competitions.
Photos: Zahra Lari, the first professional figure skater to compete internationally wearing a headscarf
Zahra Lari – The United Arab Emirates is home to 22-year-old Zahra Lari, the first professional figure skater to compete internationally wearing the headscarf, and the first skater from a Persian Gulf state to participate in international figure skating competitions.
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"I began skating when I was 12 years old, after watching the movie 'Ice Princess'," says Lari. "I just happened to see the movie and loved it immediately!"
Photos: Zahra Lari, the first professional figure skater to compete internationally wearing a headscarf
Zahra Lari – "I began skating when I was 12 years old, after watching the movie 'Ice Princess'," says Lari. "I just happened to see the movie and loved it immediately!"
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Lari has participated in professional figure skating competitions worldwide, wearing modified versions of the figure-skating outfit -- she replaces see-through fabrics such as Lycra with opaque cloth, covers her toned legs with thick leggings, and wears a matching headscarf.
Photos: Zahra Lari, the first professional figure skater to compete internationally wearing a headscarf
Zahra Lari – Lari has participated in professional figure skating competitions worldwide, wearing modified versions of the figure-skating outfit -- she replaces see-through fabrics such as Lycra with opaque cloth, covers her toned legs with thick leggings, and wears a matching headscarf.
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"I choose my music and my choreographer works with me to come up with my programs, my coach will set all of the technical elements and then it all comes together for a complete routine," says Lari, who appears in this picture with her coaches Noemi Bedo and Tunde Gal after performing at the European Cup in 2012 in Italy.
Photos: Zahra Lari, the first professional figure skater to compete internationally wearing a headscarf
Zahra Lari – "I choose my music and my choreographer works with me to come up with my programs, my coach will set all of the technical elements and then it all comes together for a complete routine," says Lari, who appears in this picture with her coaches Noemi Bedo and Tunde Gal after performing at the European Cup in 2012 in Italy.
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"There is never anything spur of the moment. It is a very technical and scientific sport that requires specific abilities and expertise to achieve the results."
Photos: Zahra Lari, the first professional figure skater to compete internationally wearing a headscarf
Zahra Lari – "There is never anything spur of the moment. It is a very technical and scientific sport that requires specific abilities and expertise to achieve the results."
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Lari's main sponsor is The Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy, based in Abu Dhabi. Since 2015, it has held the FBMA Trophy for Figure Skating. Since 2014, it has organized the International Conference of Sports for Women. Lari believes both events have encouraged women in sports and changed perceptions about them.
Photos: Zahra Lari, the first professional figure skater to compete internationally wearing a headscarf
Zahra Lari – Lari's main sponsor is The Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy, based in Abu Dhabi. Since 2015, it has held the FBMA Trophy for Figure Skating. Since 2014, it has organized the International Conference of Sports for Women. Lari believes both events have encouraged women in sports and changed perceptions about them.
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Today, Lari is a full-time student at Abu Dhabi university, where she is completing a bachelor degree on Environment Health and Safety. Her long-term dream, however, is to become a figure skating trainer.
Photos: Zahra Lari, the first professional figure skater to compete internationally wearing a headscarf
Zahra Lari – Today, Lari is a full-time student at Abu Dhabi university, where she is completing a bachelor degree on Environment Health and Safety. Her long-term dream, however, is to become a figure skating trainer.
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Dubai (CNN)The United Arab Emirates (UAE), a Persian Gulf state where temperatures soar as high as 48 degree Celsius (118.4 Fahrenheit) during summer, is famous for hosting the Formula 1, The Dubai World Cup horse race, camel races -- and even international cricket and skydiving tournaments.

It is hard to imagine, however, that this desert country where heavy snowfall is considered a national phenomenon, could become the first Arab state to join the International Skating Union (ISU), which administrates ice skating sports.
But that's exactly what has happened.
    And it's thanks to Zahra Lari, aged 22, who is not only the first skater from a Persian Gulf state to participate in international figure skating competitions, but also the first to do so wearing a headscarf.

      Ice princess

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      If you think that pairing the ornate but revealing figure skating costume with a modest headscarf is unusual, you are not alone.
      And that was not the only hurdle Lari faced when she started figure skating 10 years ago in her home emirate of Abu Dhabi.
      "I began skating when I was 12 years old, after watching the Disney movie 'Ice Princess'," Lari tells CNN over email.

      A post shared by Zahra Lari (@zahralari) on