Winter Olympic champion and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Yang Yang praised the impact of the Refugee Olympics Team prior to Paris 2024.
by Li Hualing, Liu Wanli, Kimathi Kamau and Wang Xuchen
NAIROBI, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The now-retired Chinese short-track speed skating superstar and Winter Olympic champion Yang Yang has hailed the impact of the Refugee Olympics Team (ROT), who are preparing to feature in their third Olympic Games in Paris in July.
Yang made the remarks during a recent interview with Xinhua in Kenya's capital Nairobi.
"The Olympic Games provides a great platform for all people to realize their dreams by giving full play to their talents," said Yang, who is also a goodwill ambassador of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
Yang, who won the 2002 Winter Olympic gold medal and racked up 59 world championships in a glittering career, recently concluded a tour to Kenya where she visited the Kakuma Refugee Camp in the nation's northwest.
The short-track speed skater, who won China's first Winter Olympic gold medal, has devoted herself to sports and public welfare, serving as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and vice president of the World Anti-Doping Agency. Yang says she hopes to inspire more young people to pursue their dreams with her story of fighting on and off the track.
Entering Kakuma Refugee Camp for the first time, Yang said she was "shocked" by its living conditions and people's enthusiasm towards sports. Due to war, disease and famine, over 200,000 people from roughly 20 countries are living in the camp.
During her visit to the refugee camp, Yang saw a gym that a 22-year-old inhabitant had built with his bare hands. In the rough tin house, barbell pieces, dumbbells and other equipment made of cement have attracted many young sports lovers.
"Not only is there a gym, but there is also a girls' football team. Comprised of over 20 girls who have triumphed in numerous matches, the team has had the opportunity to interact with the local community, boosting their confidence and positively influencing the entire camp," Yang said, adding that sports bring people of different races together and increase mutual trust and understanding in the refugee camp.
In June 2016, IOC President Thomas Bach announced the establishment of a "Refugee Olympic team," and since then at least seven athletes from Kakuma made their debuts at the Rio and Tokyo Olympics.
Rose Nathike Lokonyen, a refugee from South Sudan, was able to compete at Rio because of her strong performance in track and field. Today, she is still active in sports, advocating for bringing sports to refugee children. Sport, she said, "has the power to change lives."
Yang was elected an IOC member in 2010. When the IOC decided to establish a Refugee Olympic Team, she was involved in the early discussions and participated in the vote.
"This underscores the significance of the Refugee Olympic Team established in 2016, a concept I shared with the schoolchildren, many of whom were unaware of the Paris Olympics and the participation of a refugee team," Yang told Xinhua.
Besides motivating those actively participating in sport, the Chinese ice skating icon also underscored the importance of sport in unifying people forced to flee their home countries because of conflict.
"As someone deeply involved in sports, I assure you that sports play a crucial role in the lives of ordinary people, becoming a lifestyle that promotes health, allows children to grow through physical activity, teaches them the value of teamwork, and educates them on how to overcome setbacks," Yang stressed.
The 2002 Winter Olympic champion rallied sporting icons around the world to use their stardom, platform and popularity to make a difference to the communities affected by war by highlighting the plight facing refugees.
Yang was moved by the gloomy and challenging conditions at Kakuma, but expressed optimism that programs put in place by the UNHCR and other benefactors including China would alleviate the conditions.
This visit to Kakuma is Yang's second time to engage in public welfare activities in Africa. After her retirement in 2006, she visited a school for the blind in Ethiopia and interacted with patients at a children's rehabilitation center to encourage them with Olympic stories.
"These experiences set the direction of my life after my retirement. I realized that sports can help more people than just training and winning medals," Yang said.
Recalling the experience of her visit, Yang told Xinhua that in recent years, due to poverty, conflict and other factors, the number of refugees in the world has reached 114 million, and continues to grow.
Yang added that from the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, China has persistently carried forward the Olympic spirit, which has been fully affirmed by the IOC.
Around Kakuma, a Chinese-built road connects the camp with neighboring cities, making it easier for people to travel, and business activities in the camp are thriving thanks to improved transportation. "I will tell these stories worldwide to encourage young people to fight hard with their hopes and dreams."
In recent years, China has strengthened cooperation with many developing countries and achieved fruitful results in sports, culture, economy and trade, infrastructure and other fields, benefiting more and more people.
"I will continue to push for closer cooperation between China and the IOC and UNHCR in the future. And I will also do my best to promote sports, so that the spirit of sports can infect more people," Yang said, adding she will be cheering for the Refugee Olympic Team at the upcoming Paris Olympic Games. ■
