An Iranian born canoeist, who was forced to flee his country in 2015, has just been given the green light to attempt qualification for the IOC Refugee Team at the Tokyo Olympics. It’s the next step on the way to an Olympic dream for Saeid Fazloula who lives and trains in Germany.
Becoming a pilot was one of his big dreams: Ali Noori was born in Afghanistan and grew up in Iran; during childhood he had to work to support his family. After he fled to Germany, he successfully studied for his glider license and says he has found his freedom.
Sports can help refugees and displaced people cope with the coronavirus pandemic, the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) and UN refugee agency UNHCR have said in a joint statement. They announced the launch of several new sports initiatives, aimed at helping young people.
Two refugee footballers met for a friendly match last weekend - played on a video game. Alphonso Davies, who plays for FC Bayern-Munich, and Asmir Begovic from AC Milan held the virtual match to raise funds for UNHCR.
Meet Farid Walizadeh, an Afghan refugee living in Portugal. For much of his life, the 22-year-old has had to fight for survival. Now he's fighting to participate in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
A young Afghan refugee living in Portugal is trying to achieve in 10 months what normally takes years of preparation -- to join an Olympic team. Elite boxer Farid Walizadeh faces his first international qualification challenge next month ahead of the Tokyo 2020 games.
Olympian Taekwondo athlete Kimia Alizadeh defected from her home country because of its treatment of women. With her visa renewed, she is hoping to go to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics under the German flag.
After fleeing Afghanistan as a child, Nadia Nadim turned to football while living in a center for asylum seekers in Denmark. In 2009, she became the first foreign-born player to play football in the Danish national team. She believes that sport can help migrant and refugee children better integrate in their new societies.
A new sports center for migrants evacuated from Libya has opened in Niger's capital, Niamey. It is hoped that the center, built by the UN refugee agency UNHCR, will help the migrants to overcome trauma.
A basketball team made up of the children of migrants will not be allowed to compete in a tournament in Italy. That's because teams with more than two non-Italians are banned from the competition. A court found this to be legal.
The soccer team NoWalls wants to fight racism in sports. Its players hail from 14 different countries. Now, Italian sportswear company Umbro has become the sponsor of the team.
For migrant and refugee women who have suffered trauma during sea journeys, learning to swim can be a healing experience. A swimming group in southern Germany helps refugee women from different parts of the world overcome their fears.