IOC promises to ensure African and Syrian refugees compete at the Rio Olympics
International Olympic Committee Deputy Director General Pere Miro (second left) National Olympic Committee of Kenya President Kipchoge Keino (right) at Keino High Altitude Training Centre in Eldoret on February 2, 2016. Looking on are athletes Ezekiel Kemboi and Asbel Kiprop. IOC is reaching out to refugee camps to get talent for the Rio Olympic Games. 16 athletes in Kakuma Camp are training for the August Games. PHOTO | COPPERFIELD LAGAT | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Top IOC officials - led by deputy director general Pere Miro - visited the Kakuma Refugee Camp on Sunday and announced that they had selected 16 refugee athletes to train at a special camp in Ngong.
- The refugees have in the past not participated in the international championships after being displaced from their home countries.
With the world facing an unprecedented global refugee crisis, the International Olympic Committee says it will ensure African and Syrian refugees are not denied an opportunity to compete at the Rio Olympic Games.
On Sunday, top IOC officials - led by deputy director general Pere Miro - visited the Kakuma Refugee Camp and announced that they had selected 16 refugee athletes to train at a special camp in Ngong.
Miro was accompanied at Kakuma by National Olympic Committee of Kenya officials, led by chairman Kipchoge Keino and IOC’s Olivier Niamkey (in charge of the Olympic Solidarity) and project officer Matrosova Liubov Vladimirovna.
NOCK deputy secretary Stephen arap Soi, who is Kenya’s Chief de Mission to 2016 Olympics, and NOCK executive committee member James Chacha were also present.
The 16 refugee athletes will fight for selection to the Rio de Janeiro Games where they will run under the IOC flag.
Keino disclosed that between three to six athletes will be picked from the team of 16 to participate in the Rio Games under the IOC flag.
FEMALE REFUGEES
“The slots are very competitive, and an equal number of male and female refugees will be picked to participate in the games,” said Keino.
The refugees have in the past not participated in the international championships after being displaced from their home countries.
Kakuma in Turkana is one of world’s biggest refugee shelters and is home to 185,650 refugees from 20 different nations, but people from South Sudan and Somalia form the majority of residents at the camp.
The camp has produced top athletes, among them NBA star Luol Deng who plays for the Miami Heat in the NBA League. Athletes at the camp got a huge relief after the IOC pledged to donate some sports equipment to them, including track suits, shoes, balls and nets.
“We shall do our best to ensure upcoming athletes at the camp receive necessary support to nurture their talents and participate in international events,” said Miro.
SPONSOR 1,500 ATHLETES
And speaking on a tour of the IOC-funded High Performance Training Centre in Eldoret on Monday, Miro said they were aggressively pursuing a programme aimed at helping athletes from war-torn countries to compete in Rio.
Miro said the Olympic Movement appreciates the fact that there’s immense sports talent back in refugee camps which needs to be assisted in the spirit of “Olympism” that seeks to turn around their hopelessness into strengths.
IOC project officer Matrosova Liubov Vladimirovna said the movement would sponsor 1,500 athletes across Africa in preparing for the Rio Olympic Games.
