Among the athletes at the Tokyo Paralympics are six members of the refugee team. One of them is Syrian kayaker Anas Al Khalifa. DW's Ben Bathke heard his extraordinary and moving story in Germany before he flew to Japan.
Anas Al Khalifa fled Syria and settled in Germany. Then, a work accident left him paralyzed. Just over a year ago, he first sat in a Kayak. Now he's competing for a medal at the Tokyo Paralympics.
The parade of nations at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics opening ceremony was led by members of the refugee team, who received a message of support from Bayern Munich footballer and UN ambassador Alphonso Davies.
Kimia Alizadeh is labeled many things: heroine, enemy of the state, refugee and Olympic bronze medalist in taekwondo. She thinks she failed in Tokyo after missing the medals podium — but the opposite is the case.
Cyrille Tchatchet II is about to make history at the Tokyo Olympics: The weightlifter was selected for the International Olympic Committee's refugee team, making him the first UK-based refugee Olympian. But he never forgets the difficult journey he suffered to get there.
Syrian swimmer Yusra Mardini had no chance in the preliminary heat at the Tokyo Olympics. The message that the refugee team’s flag bearer sent to the world though, was more important than the result.
Saeid Fazloula fled political persecution in his home country Iran in 2015 and sought refuge in Germany. Ever since the canoeist has been training hard to make a dream come true: compete at the Olympic Games as part of the Refugee Olympic Team.
Masomah Alizada is one of the 29 refugee athletes who will compete at the Tokyo Olympics this summer. She fled to France from Afghanistan after she and her cycling friends were threatened by the Taliban. Now, the 24-year-old wants to inspire other Afghan women to fight for their freedom.
The International Olympic Committee and the UN refugee agency have revealed the final refugee squad competing under the Olympic flag during next month's Tokyo Games. Six of the 29 members were already part of the first refugee team at Rio 2016.
Having missed the last two Olympics, Iranian canoeist Saeid Fazloula is closer than ever to competing in the world's biggest sporting event. He's been shortlisted for the refugee team for the embattled Tokyo Olympics.
With the Olympic Games just two months away, refugee athletes are putting everything they have into reaching the goal of competing on the team in Tokyo.