Expectations for the spread of understanding at the Olympic Refugee Team Tokyo Games

At the Tokyo Olympics, a team of refugees who fled the country due to conflicts has been formed following the previous Rio de Janeiro Games.

Some people are hoping that the Tokyo Games will lead to a wider understanding of refugees.

Waseda University was the host for the refugee team's pre-camp, and 14 athletes from eight countries, including South Sudan and Syria, who participated in judo and taekwondo, were practicing until the 27th of last month.

As the new coronavirus prevented direct interaction, the students thought of sending a message card to each player.

I put it in the dormitory room with a paper crane.

Along with the welcome words in English, the pictograms of the competitions in which the athletes participate are also drawn.

The feeling of hospitality was conveyed to the players, and Ahmad Alikaj from Syria, who participated in judo, posted a photo of the message card on his SNS and spelled "Thank you" in Japanese.

Yukie Miura, a second-year student who sent the message, said, "I was worried about what the players with complicated circumstances could do, but I was very happy to receive the gratitude. The players who have been in a difficult situation so far. But now I'm supporting him as an athlete of the same generation. "

The UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) office in Japan, which supports refugees to let them know about the team, publishes a 30-second video introducing the athletes on SNS.

On the 3rd, I was editing a video of Syrian-born Wael Schweb, who participates in karate and form.

About 20 players have been introduced so far.

Yusra Mardini from Syria, who served as the flag bearer of the team at the opening ceremony and participated in the women's 100-meter butterfly stroke, headed to Greece by boat to escape the civil war, and continued to swim for three hours on the way to sinking. I did.

The video tells how he became a refugee and how he continued to believe in his dream of participating in the Olympics.

Many of the reactions to the video are positive, and there are voices saying that they want to support the players who have overcome the difficulties.

Aiko Maekawa of UNHCR's office in Japan said, "I think that the players are working hard as representatives of refugees, who are said to have 80 million people, so we would like to continue to support them. Also, the video will help the younger generation learn about refugees. I want you to do it. "