Competing on the global stage gives new hope and valuable experience to refugee Olympians and focuses attention on the situation and potential of the world’s forcibly displaced.
Refugee Olympic Team
Hamoon Derafshipour: Refugee Karate-Kumite
Hamoon Derafshipour is an Iranian karateka. He qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, where karate will be featured for the first time, as part of the Refugee Olympic Team.
Wael Shueb: Refugee Olympic Kareteka
Wael Shueb is a Syrian karateka. He lives in Germany where he arrived as a refugee after leaving war-torn Syria in 2015. Wael Shueb is one of two Refugee Olympic Team karatekas competing at the Tokyo Olympics.
Why the Refugee Olympic Team feels more relevant than ever: ‘We’ve all lived through collective exile’
The Refugee Olympic Team, established by the International Olympic Committee, is comprised of athletes from 11 different countries, living and training in 13 host countries. This year, with the Games taking place amid the Covid-19 pandemic, their stories and their inclusion in the Olympic movement feel more relevant than ever, according to Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Refugee Olympians in Action: Day 11
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.
Refugee Olympians in Action:
A full day and a lot of emotions. Disappointment for James who started very well but fell. Some happy faces for Dorian (PB) and Cyrille (NR) who take with them an invaluable experience for the rest of their careers. And a great moment of sharing and friendship during the mixed team event. This is what the Olympic Games is all about! #cheerforrefugees
Olympic Refugee carries the Olympic Flag
Cyrille is a weightlifting Olympic superstar. He is also one of six COVID health workers who carried the Olympic flag during the Opening Ceremony. Such strength. Such determination. We cannot wait to cheer Cyrille on! #Tokyo2020
Refugee Torch-bearer
Both had to flee their home countries. Now they are official torchbearers for #Tokyo2020. Mekkomen Moger, from Ethiopia, and Abrehet Sibhatu Kidnemarim, from Eritrea, embody the hope of the Games. They stand together with refugees from all over the world.
Ahmad Wais – Individual Time Trial Cycling
Ahmad Badreddin Wais is a Syrian cyclist and Olympian, who currently rides for UCI Continental team Kuwait Pro Cycling Team. He represents the refugee team at the Olympics. He rode in the time trial at the UCI Road World Championships in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.
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