The names of the 29 athletes, 19 men and 10 women, were announced today in Lausanne (in the picture), which will make up the Olympic refugee team that will compete in Tokyo under the flag of the IOC, the international Olympic committee. The initiative is also supported by the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR). It is “a message of hope to the world”, explained the IOC president, Thomas Bach, and a way to “create awareness through sport of the condition in which over 80 million displaced people live around the world”. The athletes were selected from a group of 56 boys and girls, coming from 13 different countries, who trained, thanks to scholarships funded by the “Olympic solidarity” fund, in 12 different disciplines: athletics, badminton, boxing, canoeing, cycling, judo, karate, taekwondo, shooting, swimming, weightlifting and wrestling. “Congratulations to all of you,” Bach said, addressing the athletes. “On behalf of the entire Olympic Movement I say that we look forward to meeting you in person and seeing you compete”. And again, “When you are finally in Tokyo on July 23, you 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 ”. The refugee team will be the second, after Greece, to enter the stadium at the opening ceremony in Tokyo. Ten of these athletes have already been part of the team that, for the first time, took part in the Rio Olympics in 2016. After Rio, the Olympic Refugee Foundation (ORF) was also born, which supports initiatives for young people around the world. .
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