From more than a dozen countries, the experience is extraordinary! The 29-member refugee delegation to the Tokyo Olympics raised concerns

Source: Global Times

At this year's Tokyo Olympic Games, there was a delegation that attracted special attention, the team members came from different countries, spoke different languages, but shared the Olympic spirit, this team is the refugee delegation. IOC President Bach said the appearance of refugee athletes from around the globe on the stage at the Tokyo Olympics was a powerful message of unity, resilience and hope for the world.

According to the German "Stuttgart Daily" reported on the 28th, recently, a photo of a Syrian brother hugging at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympic Games went viral on the Internet. In the photo, 28-year-old brother Mohammed Maso and 21-year-old brother Ala Maso hug passionately. Some international media reported that the two brothers were separated by war but met at the Tokyo Olympics, which has since been confirmed to be a oolong. The brothers actually traveled from Germany to Tokyo for the Olympics together. The brothers, from Aleppo, Syria, left Syria in 2015 and settled in Germany in 2016 to continue their athletic training. Mohammed Maso represented Syria in triathlon, and his younger brother Ala Maso represented the refugee group in the 50-meter freestyle.

The Tokyo Olympics refugee delegation included 29 athletes from 11 different countries, including Syria, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iraq, Venezuela and others, competing in 12 events. According to IOC regulations, if they win a medal, the Olympic flag will be raised on the podium and the Olympic anthem will be played.

According to the American Broadcasting Corporation reported on the 27th, this is the second time that the refugee delegation has participated in the Olympic Games. In 2016, 10 athletes from four countries formed the first Ever Olympic refugee delegation to take the race in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Six of the 29 people who competed in Tokyo competed in rio. The IOC, in partnership with unHCR and other agencies, has provided financial and training support to refugee athletes, funding 56 eligible refugee athletes to help them continue their sporting careers. In October 2018, the IOC decided to set up another refugee delegation to compete in Tokyo 2020. The selection criteria for the athletes of the delegation first consider the performance of the sport, taking into account the personal background, the project, the geographical and gender balance, and the refugee status of all athletes is verified and confirmed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Every refugee athlete lives and trains in the country of asylum. These countries include Germany, Kenya, Israel, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland and Canada, which are funded by the IOC.

Germany's "Focus" weekly said on the 28th that 7 of the 29 athletes of the refugee delegation lived in Germany. Euthra Maldini, a female swimmer from Syria who is well known as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, was named one of the "25 Women Who Changed the World" by People magazine in the United States. Influenced by her father being a swimming coach, Maldini began learning to swim at the age of 4 and had a legendary experience: when she was 17 years old, war broke out in Syria and she and her sister Sarah tried to flee to Europe together. On their way across the Aegean Sea, the engine of the boat they were riding suddenly broke anchor, and the two sisters and two other swimmers jumped into the sea and pushed the boat with their bare hands, swimming for more than 3 hours, helping the ship to reach the Greek island of Lesvos safely, saving a boat of more than 20 people. After that, they traveled to many countries and eventually settled in Germany. In the already Tokyo Olympic Women's Butterfly 100m Preliminary Round, Maldini finished third in the group. Maldini said swimming was her way out and that her future dream was to start a swimming school, adding: "I want to tell other refugees to believe in their dreams and strength." ”

According to UNHCR, at the end of 2020, there were more than 82 million forcibly displaced people worldwide, of whom 26 million were refugees.