( CNN ) -- At first glance , the UAE seems ill-suited to ice hockey . The country boasts summer temperatures of up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit ( 48 degrees Celsius ) , and the only snow and ice to be found is usually in fabricated form in a shopping mall . Despite the country 's many disadvantages in championing the cold-weather sport , in 2010 the UAE became the first Arab nation to play in an International Ice Hockey Federation world championship . Granted , they finished last , but that has n't dampened the enthusiasm of the handful of Emiratis who have taken to the sport . `` I feel so proud , so proud to be representing the country , '' says Mohamed Aref Al Jachi , a founding member of the UAE 's national ice hockey team . The first time Al Jachi saw snow was five years ago . Now , he trains with his team four nights a week at the Abu Dhabi ice rink . Coaches from Canada and Belarus -- two ice hockey heavyweight nations -- are helping the team learn the right moves . The process is n't always straightforward . `` It will take time to teach , '' admits Lee Becker , the team 's equipment manager , who hails from Canada . `` It 's not something that 's going to happen overnight . They have to take some time to adapt . '' Some of the players admit that they do n't always get taken seriously , being from the UAE . `` They sometimes say , 'Ah , you 're a desert country . Where do you play ? In the desert ? ' Come on ! '' says Saeed Al Nuaimi , a business student who plays on the team in his spare time . Despite the players ' enthusiasm , the fan base has n't yet developed around the sport . At a recent regional tournament in which they played against Mongolia , the stadium seats were mostly empty . `` It feels bad , '' admits Al Nuaimi . `` But this game is not really popular in the UAE . People like football . But if they came to watch , it 's a very fast and tough game , and they would enjoy it . '' For many of the players , ice hockey is , at the moment , a side hobby . Al Jachi , for instance , has a day job as a government employee . And while many of the players harbor Olympic ambitions , for the time being , they 're just happy to be playing . `` You do n't have to win every time , '' says Al Jachi . `` Many teams play in the world championships and they never win , but they 're still playing . They are saying , 'We are there , we can play the game . ' This is our aim . ''
UAE became first Arab nation to play an International Ice Hockey Federation world championship . International team is made up of part time players . Coaches of national team are from Russia and UAE . Football is fans ' favorite sport in the UAE .