Refugee Olympic Team: a contingent without a country
The Hindu
As many as 29 men and women from different countries are participating in the Tokyo Olympics under one banner. Who are they and why aren’t they representing their own nations?
When 23-year-old Kimia Alizadeh stunned two-time Olympic champion Jade Jones, it was a new chapter not only for Taekwondo, but a ray of hope for millions around the world. She narrowly missed a medal in the Tokyo Olympics, but the Iran-born player has nevertheless scripted history. The daughter of a tablecloth maker in Karaj, Iran, Alizadeh currently lives with her husband in Germany. She describes herself as ‘one of the millions of oppressed women in Iran.’ Alizadeh is among 29 athletes participating under the banner Refugee Olympic Team. These members come from 11 countries – Afghanistan, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, the Republic of Congo and Venezuela. The athletes have lived and trained on foreign soil; in the territories of 13 host countries --- Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Kenya, Portugal, the Netherlands, Trinidad and Tobago, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Olympian and former marathon world record-holder Tegla Loroupe of Kenya is the team’s Chef de Mission at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In Tokyo, they are competing in 12 sports: athletics, badminton, boxing, canoeing, cycling, judo, karate taekwondo, shooting sport, swimming, weightlifting and wrestling.More Related News