IOC to adapt refugee athlete program to counter criticism

[ad_1]

TOKYO (AP) Refugee athletes must have more chances to compete and earn money in international sports, the IOC said on Tuesday following criticism of runners who left the Olympic program.

Several potential members of the Refugee Olympic team lost their chance to compete in the Tokyo Games by leaving in recent years to stay in Europe and avoid returning to a runners’ training camp in Kenya.

Claims by runners from South Sudan about a controlling management style and refusal to make money from racing and sponsorship were detailed this month by Time magazine.

When asked about the allegations on Tuesday, an International Olympic Committee official overseeing the refugee team said we are learning through this process.

We respond to them as much as possible, said James Macleod, IOC Team Relations Director. We understand that now that the athletes embark on this path of elite athlete coming to compete at the Olympic Games, their expectations are obviously increased.

Macleod noted that the IOC created the team program with the United Nations refugee agency in Geneva just months before 10 athletes were sent to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro 2016.

Life has changed, athletes have changed, their needs have changed, Macleod said, adding that the IOC has made more money available to support athletes around the world, including refugees. The other thing we were trying to do was increase the possibilities for them to have access to sport.

The 29-member IOC-supported refugee team in Tokyo, participating in 12 different sports, includes four middle-distance runners based in Kenya.

On selection day last month, IOC President Thomas Bach said the team participating in Tokyo would send a powerful message of solidarity, resilience and hope to the world.

Six of the 29 are leftovers from the Rio squad. New member Kimia Alizadeh narrowly came close to winning another bronze medal in taekwondo on Sunday. Alizadeh won bronze for Iran in 2016, then defected citing institutional sexism. She now lives in Germany.

A team of refugees will be supported and sent to the Paris 2024 Games, the IOC announced on Tuesday.

___

More AP: https://apnews.com/hub/2020-tokyo-olympics and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

[ad_2]