ADIHIC continues to grow ice hockey across the Islamic world by exporting Russian know-how, and Ak Bars specialists are proving that success is built not only on the ice but also beneath it.

This spring, the technical team from Tatneft Arena, home of three-time Gagarin Cup champion Ak Bars Kazan, traveled to Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi to inspect and upgrade the local rink. The mission followed an earlier evaluation of the arena as a potential venue for a future KHL World Games matchup.

Led by ice operations chief Alexey Zheludkov, the Kazan crew carried out a full audit of the facility. While the arena was well maintained, the inspection uncovered major issues with the ice plant and rink preparation. Hot water from the local supply system and improper layering techniques had caused the paint to break through the base, while the ice sheet itself had grown to an incredible 19 centimeters—more than five times the KHL standard.

Ak Bars specialists stepped in with a complete game plan. Bringing KHL-standard paint, markings, goal-frame anchors and under-ice advertising systems, they rebuilt the rink from the technical layer up. The team resurfaced the ice, upgraded the cooling process, fine-tuned the glass alignment and trained local operators in ice resurfacer maintenance, blade sharpening and professional rink management.

The entire overhaul took just four days. A five-man Russian crew completed the job in a fraction of the time usually required by larger foreign teams, earning high praise from the arena’s management.

For Ak Bars and ADIHIC, the biggest victory was not the upgraded rink itself but the transfer of experience. By sharing the standards and routines used to prepare arenas for elite hockey, the Kazan experts helped local technicians build a stronger foundation for the future of the game in the UAE.

“Colleagues from Canada spent 2 weeks on this job. We did it in just 4 days. We’re ready to share that experience and bring arenas up to world-class standards. The staff in Ak Bars and Tatneft Arena is very qualified, and we can explain how to prepare the arenas for top-level events. Knowledge and hard work are the most important things in our business,” said Zheludkov.