The President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach is in Athens to visit the Open Reception Centre for refugees in Eleonas, Athens. President Bach is accompanied by a Special Envoy for Youth Refugees and Sport appointed by the United Nations Secretary, Honorary IOC President, Jacques Rogge and Patrick Hickey, IOC Executive Board Member, Pere Miro, Deputy Director General Olympic movement relations are also present as part of the IOC delegation. Spyros Capralos President of the Hellinic Olympic Committee (HOC) and the Mayor Lesvos, Spyros Gallinos are also on hand in Athens to assist with the visit.
The HOC Refugee Support Programme recently built four basketball courts in the largest refugee camp in Athens which houses between 750 and 1000 refugees at any given time. The IOC have also supplied sports equipment, jackets and 600 pairs of running shoes in partnership with TOP Sponsors P&G of Greece personal hygiene kits will also be provided.
As well as assisting the refugee camp in light of the current global refugee crisis, IOC has created a special fund to develop relief projects through sport in collaboration with National Olympic Committees (NOCs) around the world and the Olympic Council of Ireland will take part in this project.
With the help of the NOC’s the IOC is in the process of identifying a number of athletes affected by the worldwide refugee crisis, to try help these individuals to take part in the Olympci Games in Rio de Janeiro 2016. A trio of athletes who have fled their home countries have already been identified as potential Olympic contenders including a female swimmer from Syria presently in Germany and a male Congolese judoka in Brazil and a femal Iranian taekwondo fighter now in Belgium. In cooperation with the relevent Internaitonal Federation (IFs) the IOC is now evaluating these athletes.
