LAUSANNE: Twenty-nine athletes competing across 12 sports and from 13 host National Olympic Committees (NOCs) will be part of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Refugee Olympic Team (EOR) Tokyo 2020.
The Executive Board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Tuesday approved the composition of the team. The athletes were selected from among the refugee athletes currently supported by the IOC through the Olympic Scholarships for Refugee Athletes programme. “They will send a powerful message of solidarity and hope to the world this summer, bringing further awareness to the plight of over 80 million displaced people worldwide,” an IOC release said.
The 29 athletes met for the first time on Tuesday in a virtual ceremony during which IOC President Thomas Bach officially announced their participation in the Games in Tokyo this summer.
Addressing the athletes, the IOC President said: “Congratulations to all of you. I speak on behalf of the entire Olympic Movement when I say that we cannot wait to meet you in person and to see you compete in Tokyo. When you, the IOC Refugee Olympic Team and the athletes from the National Olympic Committees from all over the globe, finally come together in Tokyo on July 23, it will send a powerful message of solidarity, resilience and hope to the world. You are an integral part of our Olympic community, and we welcome you with open arms.”
UNHCR High Commissioner Filippo Grandi congratulated the athletes.
“I am thrilled to congratulate each of the athletes who have been named in the Refugee Olympic Team Tokyo 2020. They are an exceptional group of people who inspire the world. UNHCR is incredibly proud to support them as they compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Surviving war, persecution and the anxiety of exile already makes them extraordinary people, but the fact that they now also excel as athletes on the world stage fills me with immense pride. It shows what is possible when refugees are given the opportunity to make the most of their potential”