The whole genesis of the idea
was actually a discussion the IAAF had
many years ago
with Tegla Loroupe.
The great Kenyan distance runner, a great friend of mine
She was the one that drove this
We actually made the first fund available
to allow that to happen
and then the International Olympic Committee
took it up as a concept
and now it’s very much a part of our landscape.
We want them to have
more competition opportunities
It’s also important that they don’t just end up
at a world championship
with top athletes
and haven’t had other competitions before
It’s important for them
that more people have an opportunity to compete
It’s important that they get used
to racing in top events
because training is one thing
but actually managing the stress of a competition
that’s also an experience that you acquire
so it’s important that they can take part in events.
Can I take a picture with you?
Yeah, here, turn to this side
There!
These are the five refugee athletes from Kenya
Who will be competing at the Asian games
in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
They were all selected to compete after trials
by the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation in Kenya.
We have six athletes in total.
Four from the Tegla Loroupe training camp at Ngong
And two of them were refugees in other countries,
outside of Tegla's camp.
Well, what happened and...
We only knew late in the day, which is a pity.
So, refugees travel on convention travel documents.
It is a passport for refugees.
The Danish government doesn't recognize CTDs issued by Kenya.
Jamal is of Sudanese nationality.
He is a refugee in Israel
And Otmane is Moroccan and he is a refugee in Sweden
Their CTDs, issued respectively by
Sweden and Israel, were not a problem.
So, they are here and they will be
competing in a couple of hours.
But we couldn't have the four from Kenya,
unfortunately, here with us.
I think it is, they have trained
really hard to compete here
Dominic Lokinyomo has had a fantastic season.
It was probably one of the most challenging courses yet
devised by an organizing committee.
The days of race courses with a few hay bales,
we wanted to move on from that.
Jamal actually did very well,
because he came 85th, which is really good.
Otmane was struggling a little more, he finished in 125th.
To finish mid-field in a world class competition,
and over one of the most challenging courses,
I think, anybody can ever remember,
was an extraordinary performance.
No, it is not.
I don't see any disconnect at all.
I think if we can give athletes the opportunity to compete
in major championships, to be able to shape their lives,
through sport, fashion their futures through sport,
we should do that.
You know, the reality of the world is
that migration and patterns of migration
are going to define all of us.
They're probably the biggest issue
that global economies face over the next fifty years.
And I'm really pleased that athletics
is sitting in the middle of that debate,
not just in an academic discussion,
but we've actually done something to show
that there are practical applications here.
There was a guy from the
from the immigration business, who called me and said:
"There are 2 guys who want to run.
One is Dominic and the other one is Thiep."
And if I want to be there,
to help them to train and so we met one day.
And now we are training together for a couple weeks a month.
I asked him if he wanted to compete on the road.
To get some competitions, maybe also to earn some money
And I tried to get some free tickets
or entry tickets for him
and as soon as he won the first race, it was easy.
And now everybody knows him or fears him.
You know, in Switzerland, Il compte pour le palmarès,
it is the biggest race, in Switzerland,
the most important to win.
And you are the winner.
They are running for their lives, we are running for our spare time.
Look, I would love, of course,
to be in a position where,
In 10, 15, 20, 30 years,
this is not an issue that we're actually discussing
I think that is probably unlikely,
so, while we still have that challenge,
let us, in athletics, let us, in sport,
do what we can to make life a little bit easier.
And to create some opportunities
and yes, maybe even flag up,
you know, shine a spotlight
on the issues that there are there.
and sport does that very effectively as well.
So, yes, let's hope that we're, you know,
in 20 or 30 years' time,
if we're sitting across the table having this discussion,
it is a much less serious issue. I doubt it.
I think it will probably become more profound.
For now, we need the team.
The IOC said it is not only among athletes
performing in athletics and track & field
but they're going to look at the performances over all sports
So, while we had 50% of the team in Rio
who was competing in athletics events,
that's not necessarily going to be the case for Tokyo.
So, it is a lot more competitive.
We have breaking news.
Fears about the spread of a deadly new virus.
Ten cities in China are now on lockdown
Corona virus is spreading like wildfire in Iran
Italy is currently experiencing
the peak of the coronavirus
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tested positive for...
That is the highest daily increase recorded...
The olympic flame is also continuing its journey.
Pressure has been mounting to delay the games
With Canada and Australia announcing
they won't be sending teams to the games in July
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe,
he has asked for
a 1-year postponement of the Tokyo Olympics.
