An Iranian citizen journalist, who writes under a pseudonym to protect his identity, wrote the following article from inside Iran.
I would never have known about ice-skating and figure skating if I had not seen competitions like “Dancing on Ice” on the London-based Persian-language satellite channel, Manoto TV. But a short while ago, on one of those days when the thermometer on Kish Island rose above 45 degrees, I visited a skating class and saw close-up the enthusiasm and joy of youngsters who had the chance to glide over ice.
They moved around to cheerful music, and it was something to see. The little boys and girls went through the motions of this fast-paced sport with such beauty and skill that I, along with everybody else there, was gripped by excitement.
Because of past prohibitions, skating has not had a noticeable presence in Iran, but now it seems that the obstacles have been removed.
The managers of the ice rink told me that it had first opened on the first day of spring in 2014. It is the only ice rink on the island, and one of only two built in Iran since the 1979 revolution. It is over 200 square meters and is on the second floor of a shopping center. During the day, skaters have a spectacular view of the Persian Gulf.
Iran's other ice rink is on Mir Damad Avenue in Tehran. It has also become popular, and it seems that many young people are drawn to this exciting and joyous sport, which closely resembles dancing.
While ice skating may be new to Iran, teachers from the national inline and ice skating teams have already succeeded in training a considerable number of eager pupils.
Ice-skating was introduced to Iran in the early 1960s by the French. The first standard ice rink was built for the 1974 Asian Games in Tehran. It was part of Aryamehr Stadium, which later became Azadi, or "Freedom" Stadium after the revolution.
The high cost of maintaining the ice rink after the Asian Games prevented further construction and led the re-purposing of the existing rink.
After the 1979 revolution, ice-skating disappeared from Iran until 2013, when a privately-owned sports complex built a new facility.
Amir Alavi, Citizen-Journalist, Karaj
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