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Dubai: UAE Resident Vladimir Burdun has been appointed as the new President of the Emirates Hockey League (EHL), promising to improve the quality of the UAE’s ice hockey league.
A prominent figure in the Emirates' community of Russian-speaking expats, successful businessman Vladimir Burdun is no stranger to the world of sports.
Vladimir, a former karate champion who came to Dubai in the mid-1990s and managed several businesses, including an import-export company and a restaurant, first became a name in the UAE sporting scene as the biggest promoter of Thai boxing in the country. Vladimir, who considers Dubai to be his home, now plans to focus his sporting prowess on propelling the UAE’s ice hockey league to international stardom.
“The main goal of the EHL management is to improve the quality of the league and bring new exposure to the level of play and create bridges with one of the best leagues in Europe, the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL),” says Vladimir. The KHL is an international professional ice hockey league. Founded in 2008, it comprises 25-member clubs based in Belarus, China, Finland, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Russia, and Slovakia, with plans to expand to more countries
Vladimir is joined by Dmitry Butenko who has been appointed as Managing Director of EHL. With their sights set on expanding the league to interstate Asian level, Vladimir explains: “At the interstate Asian level, teams from Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Georgia will be able to take part in tournaments, which in turn will attract highly qualified young players from Europe and Russia to play with the Emirati and expat members of the EHL.”
This, Vladmir believes, will lead to the formation of a formidable UAE team which, by 2020, will be ready to play at international level. “One of the new directions of the federation will be the formation of a team that will become internationally competitive and qualified to play against elite talent from Europe," says Vladimir.
The UAE may not be the obvious choice for ice and snow sports, but the infrastructure for winter sports in the region is already underway. A new, state of the art ice arena is expected to open in Abu Dhabi in 2019 which meets all the requirements of the KHL, Supreme Hockey League (Russia) and Russian Junior Leagues.
Working closely with the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), Vladimir foresees that the transition towards a more professional level of play will also ensure a greater level of support for the sport in this region, making the game more intense and more exhilarating for spectators.
He strongly believes that the UAE is the perfect market for it. “Ice Hockey is actively developing in the Asian region; China has just enlisted its first club into the KHL and hosted National Hockey League games. Being part of a dynamic, easily accessible region, the UAE has the potential to engage the youth and develop the sport.”
Introducing the region’s youth to this dynamic sport is crucial for Vladimir. “We will drive special attention to children's sports. Together with the company Legends of CSKA we are planning to open a hockey academy named after Olympic champion Vladimir Petrov. There are also plans to open the first hockey museum in the emirates – modelled on the CSKA museum – which will help people to learn more about this sport and the culture behind it.”
About the UAE Emirates Hockey Leagu
The UAE Emirates Hockey League was founded in 2009 by the country’s Winter Sports Federation and the Emirates Olympic Committee. It is licensed by the International Hockey Federation.
About Vladimir Burdun
Vladimir Burdun is a master in the sport of karate and a multiple winner of various martial arts tournaments. He graduated from the Russian State University of Physical Education, Sports, Youth and Tourism in Moscow (boxing and kickboxing) and has served as chairman of the International Development Committee of the World Federation of Thai Boxing (IFMA/WMC).
Since 2003 he has held prestigious international martial arts sports tournaments in Dubai. In 2013 he organized two friendly matches with the Russian national football team against Serbia and South Korea. Since then, dozens of Russian athletes have participated in competitions organized by Vladimir Burdun in the UAE including stars of NHL (National Hockey League) Andrey Nikolishin, Alexander Zhdanov, Ian Golubovsky, Valery Kamensky, Maxim Mikhailovsky, Vladimir Tsyplakov, Andrey Vasilyev. After the establishment of the EHL, Vladimir has actively been involved in its day-to-day runnings. Before leading the UAE hockey team Vladimir was the manager of a number of winning teams including the famous Canadian-Emirate hockey club the Dubai Mighty Camels, which played in seven of nine League finals, emerging as chamions in four if them.
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