The Taekwondo refugee athlete, who had defeated double Olympic champion Jade Jones, just missed out on a chance to claim the IOC Refugee Olympic Team’s first ever medal.
Refugee Olympic Team
Refugee Strong
Against all odds, refugees are achieving their dreams on and off the field. They are athletes. Team players. They are coaches and captains.
Arrival and Welcome in Tokyo for Refugee Olympic Team
The members of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team (EOR) Tokyo 2020 were welcomed in Tokyo by the International Olympic Committee Session. Athlete representative Yiech Pur Biel addressed the IOC Members on behalf of the team.
Opening Ceremony – Refugee Olympic Team
The Refugee athletes strode into global spotlight as Tokyo Games begin. The Opening ceremony featured the refugee athletes – in second place – marching out under the Olympic flag, showcasing the power of sport and sending a message of hope to 82 million displaced people worldwide.
Refugee Passionate
For many refugees, their passion for sport is what keeps them going in the face of obstacles as they start a new life, in new communities. It helps them to make friends and rebuild their lives. We want to ensure every refugee is able to access sports. To harness their passion to be able to rebuild their life and fulfil their potential. More opportunities, bigger platforms. #cheerforrefugees
IOC President visits Refugee Olympic Team
It was great to see IOC President Thomas Bach visit our team, showing his support for all of the work we are doing. Here we look at the preparation by Iranian refugee karateka competitor, Hamoon Derafshipour.
The refugee wrestler who found salvation in the mountains of Austria
When Aker Al Obaidi first started wrestling aged 6, he had no idea that one day the sport would be his ticket to a new life. The young Iraqi competed for fun, and he showed enormous potential. Obaidi started winning junior tournaments, and was attracting the attention of other nations that wanted to recruit him. But when he turned 14, the fun abruptly stopped.
A group calling itself Islamic State took over his home city of Mosul, Iraq, and started recruiting boys around his age. He fled the country. “I didn’t want to leave, but I had to.” said Obaidi, now 21. “It was a very scary experience. I didn’t know where I was going or where I would end up.
I was separated from my family and following a group of others. I was scared whether my family would survive the war. I had to look after myself. “The whole situation was very tough, psychologically, and I’ve had to see doctors about what happened to me.” Aker is now a member of the Refugee Olympic Team
Refugee Olympic Team arrive in Tokyo
Seven of the original Rio Olympics team who are now in Tokyo as part of the Refugee Olympic team alongside another 22 incredible refugee athletes who have come from 13 different host countries and have 12 sports to compete in. The Refugee Olympic Team will march second in the Opening Ceremony and carry the Olympic Flag. Their designation is EOR, the French tag, Equippe-Olympic-Refugee
Refugee Olympic Team
UN Refugee Chief Filippo Grandi is in Japan for the #Tokyo2020 Olympic Games. “I came here to cheer for the #RefugeeOlympicTeam – athletes who embody the hopes and aspirations of more than 80 million people around the world uprooted by war, violence, discrimination and persecution.”
Taekwondo athletes included in the Refugee Olympic Team
Three taekwondo athletes have been included in the Refugee Olympic Team for the upcoming Tokyo Games. World Taekwondo, the global governing body of the sport, said Tuesday that Kimia Alizadeh Zonouzi (W-57kg), Dina Pouryounes Langeroudi (W-49kg) and Abdullah Sediqi (M-68kg) will fly to the city next month with 26 other athletes after being selected based on their “performance, refugee status and balanced representation across sports regions and genders.”