Three members of the Refugee Olympic Team have been granted permanent residency in Canada based on athletic ability. Three athletes competing for the Refugee Olympic Team at the Tokyo Games will soon be coming to Canada through a first-of-its kind athletic scholarship program
Peter Bol is a man of his word. He is also a man for these times. As he had promised, the first Australian to reach an 800m final at the Olympics since 1968 led from the front on Wednesday night. Bol was not going to be left wondering.
The 27-year-old went early and he went hard, knowing that Kenyan duo Emmanuel Korir and Ferguson Rotich would benefit from a slow start. In the end, Bol’s legs fell just short – he struggled to stay with Korir, Rotich and Poland’s Patryk Dobek as they lifted the pace in the final stretch. If there was an Olympic 700m race, Bol would have secured gold – but the final 100m dash cost him a spot on the Tokyo 2020 podium. Fourth was an immensely creditable result.
The outpouring of support for Bol on social media in the past 24 hours, and particularly after his race on Wednesday, underscored the inspiration he has offered the Australian public. “I didn’t know if I was going to win, but I knew one thing for certain – that the whole of Australia was watching,” he told Channel Seven. “That carried me on.”
Congratulations to Paulo, Aker and Jamal – all your hard work and effort paid off. We’re proud to support you and every Refugee Olympic Team athlete to bring hope through sport. You rock guys! #RefugeeOlympicTeam #EOR
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (French: Jeux olympiques) are leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games are considered the world’s foremost and biggest sports competition with more than 200 nations participating. Since 2016 (at Rio), the International Olympic Committee has created the Refugee Olympic Team, and the Paralympic Refugees Team.
Sport is more than a hobby. It is a way to build resilience. For so many refugees, sport is a way to have fun, to heal, to rebuild. Sport can reduce stigma. For all refugees, with or without disabilities, having the opportunity to access sports can build physical and mental wellbeing. And of course it challenges what other people thought might be possible. #cheerforrefugees
Tokyo: Peter Bol has spent his life running from something and to something. On Wednesday night he might reach his goal. Bol will run for Australia in the 800 metres final at the Tokyo Olympics and is a favourite for a medal. It will be the culmination of a journey that began in Sudan. At the age of four, his family escaped the civil war that would engulf that country for more than two decades.
The refugee paddler, who was forced to flee Iran in 2015, found a second home in Germany, and in Tokyo made it to the quarterfinals in the men’s kayak singles 1000m event.
From battling depression and homelessness to helping carry the Olympic flag into the Tokyo stadium for the Opening Ceremony, weightlifter and refugee athlete Cyrille Tchatchet has an inspiring story that he hopes will encourage more than 82 million displaced people around the world.
The South Sudan born athlete, and two-time Olympian, showed a remarkable improvement in her performance from Rio 2016. IOC Refugee Olympic Team member Anjelina Nadai Lohalith made Tokyo 2020 another milestone to remember after she ran a personal best performance in the 1500m.
The German Cycling Federation’s sporting director has been sent home from the Tokyo Olympics after a microphone caught him shouting a racial slur during Wednesday’s men’s time trial. Here, the director of Team Africa Rising responds:
To understand humanity and the effect our words and actions have on one another, we must take the time to understand our place in society in relation to others who may not look like us or follow the same religious tradition or come from a similar country.
As the Development Director for Team Africa Rising, I, along with another colleague, were behind the social media Twitter storm the past two days. Yes, we are still calling for your resignation. And yes, we still believe the German Cycling Federation and the UCI need to take a stronger stance regarding your racist outburst and your conditional apology. However, I do believe, you, the cycling world and frankly, most of us, can learn something from this event and learn some valuable lessons.