The award was in recognition of the opportunity they provide to the most vulnerable people around the world to access sport
The team Olympic refugee at the Tokyo 2020 opening ceremony (EUTERS/Mike Blake)
In the last few hours, the International Olympic Committee received great news shortly after the first anniversary of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games that took place in 2021 in the capital of Japan. The Princess of Asturias Foundation announced that the 2022 Sports Prize will be awarded to the Olympic Refuge Foundation and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team.
The award will be will be awarded in recognition of the opportunity they provide the most vulnerable people around the world to access sport and thrive in all aspects of their lives. The delivery ceremony will take place on October 28 in Oviedo, the capital of the Principality of Asturias, Spain.
The jury recognized that the refugee team that competed in the last Olympic event under the IOC flag brings together the values of sport, which are integration, education, solidarity and humanity. This team sends a message of hope to the world.
Once the award was confirmed, the president of the International Olympic Committee and president of the Olympic Refuge Foundation, Thomas Bach, was honored to be worthy of this tribute.
“We feel very honored and grateful to the jury of the Princess of Asturias Foundation. This award is an encouragement to continue our mission of supporting refugees and displaced people around the world to find safety, relief and joy through sport. The Olympic Refuge Foundation is an expression of our long-term commitment to refugees,” said the Olympic fencing champion.
29 participated athletes from 12 countries in the IOC refugee team (REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach)
“Sadly, with more than 100 million forcibly displaced people around the world, our mission remains paramount and our commitment to accompanying refugees is stronger than ever. Since the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the IOC Refugee Olympic Team represents millions of refugees from around the world. attention to the refugee issue and advances efforts to achieve world peace by eliminating wars and conflicts that cause people to flee their homeland,” he added.
You have to remember that in Tokyo, a group of 29 athletes were part of the refugee Olympic team who participated in 12 different sports: athletics, badminton, boxing, canoeing, cycling, judo, karate, taekwondo, shooting sports, swimming, weightlifting and judo. The athletes who competed were from countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, South Sudan, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Venezuela and Eritrea.
In October 2015, in the face of the global refugee crisis that caused the displacement of millions of people around the world, the IOC President announced the creation of the first IOC Refugee Olympic Team at the United Nations General Assembly.
In Rio 2016 history was made with the participation of ten refugee athletes, who inspired the world with the strength of their human spirit. Strengthening support for refugees and populations affected by displacement remains a priority for the IOC and is part of recommendation 11 of the Olympic Agenda 2020+5, the new strategic roadmap of the IOC and the Olympic Movement until 2025.
To achieve this, there will not only be an IOC Refugee Olympic Team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and at the Dakar Youth Olympic Games 2026, but greater access to sport is being guaranteed for displaced youth 365 days a year through the work of the Olympic Refuge Foundation.