Harbin, China, August 12, 2025: In the case of Kuwaiti Lara Al-Barrak it is double-delight at the Asian Figure Skating Youth Camp in Harbin for accompanying her on the trip is her father Jamal.
“It is great fun having my dad with me. Usually it is my mum who tags along when I have to travel overseas for skating,” says Lara, a bubbly 13-year-old who is one of 47 young athletes from 20 Asian countries and regions in this nine-day residential training camp.
Lara is one of Kuwait’s most promising young figure skaters. She is fortunate in that her parents are fully supportive of her and make sacrifices of their time to ensure that she is given all the backing and encouragement.
“This is the first time my dad has come along and it is a great chance to bond. I'm really enjoying it here,” smiles Lara after a strenuous two-hour session on the ice at the Harbin Ice Hockey Arena.
Her ambition, like most of the other young girls and boys at this camp, is to one day skate at the Olympics. In pursuit of this dream, her parents have given her everything, even enrolling her for training with some of the best coaches overseas.
Before coming to Harbin, Lara and her mum, Reem, were in Bergamo, a city in the Lombardy region in northern Italy, where the Italian national figure skating was training. She spent six weeks with top-class private instructors.
Jamal Al-Barrak is a high-powered chief executive officer with Kuwait International Bank, running its investment arm. The banker made time from his busy schedule to travel with his daughter to Harbin.
“As my wife had just spent six weeks with Lara in Italy, she decided to take our younger daughter Amaya to London for a holiday. So I had to come to Harbin. This is my first solo trip with Lara and I’m enjoying it immensely. Just spending time with her, seeing her smile, is all that matters,” says Jamal.
But it is not all play for Jamal. The time difference between Kuwait and Harbin, China is five hours. Kuwait is behind, so he gets calls from his office at all odd hours.
It is all worth it.
Lara began skating as a five-year-old at the Bayan Rink, a private establishment in Kuwait City. Her precocious talent was soon in the spotlight.
“She loves skating and has won many awards. She is the number one in Kuwait in her age group. When this opportunity arose, the Kuwait Ice Skating Federation nominated her. It is a great programme, especially as Lara gets the chance of making so many new friends,” says Jamal as he clicks a selfie with his daughter.
