Regarding the participation of a team of refugees from around the world at the Tokyo Olympics, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Grundy said that the appearance of athletes fleeing the harsh conditions of their homeland is courageous to the people of the world who are facing difficulties. He showed his expectations for his success.
Filippo Grandi, High Commissioner for UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), who was visiting Japan to attend the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, responded to an online interview with NHK on the 25th.
Among them, at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games held on the 23rd, following Greece at the beginning, a refugee team consisting of people from 11 countries around the world entered, "Japan and the world are in a pandemic and difficult situation. In the face of this, the appearance of athletes who have fought against persecution and discrimination in each country entering the venue would have made a strong impression. "
"The fact that athletes who have lost everything and fled their homeland came to the Olympic stage with rigorous training and strong beliefs gives courage to people all over the world," said refugee athletes playing an active part in various competitions. I showed my expectations to do it.
Also, last week, UNHCR signed a memorandum of understanding with the Immigration Bureau of Japan, which included advice on refugee recognition, saying, "The current refugee recognition system in Japan is time-consuming and complicated. , This memorandum can work together to improve, "he said, showing his willingness to cooperate so that more refugees will be accepted in Japan.