NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- For Hunaidi Talal Hassan, reaching the Asian Games is a dream years in the making. "For us, this is not just a competition, it is a dream we have worked towards all our lives," the 18-year-old told a press conference on Monday. "We always had hope. And today we are here living that dream."
Hassan and fellow taekwondo athlete Muhammed Mahmoud Jasem make up the first refugee team to participate in the Asian Games. Both are from Syria and now live in Jordan. At Aichi-Nagoya 2026, they bring ambitions for the competition ahead, along with stories of how sport helped them see a future when one had seemed out of reach.
Hassan took up taekwondo at nine. The sport, she says, has changed many things in her life for the better. Being at the Games is a source of happiness and pride, made all the more meaningful by the difficulties she has faced.
"We faced many challenges, but we kept going and never gave up on our dreams," she said.
Jasem began practicing taekwondo at 14. For him, its importance has long extended beyond training and competition.
"This sport means a lot to me. It was my only hope," he said.
Living in a refugee camp, Jasem had struggled to imagine what lay ahead. Taekwondo gave him reason to believe a better life was possible. He kept training, and years of effort brought him to the Asian Games, where representing refugee athletes is both an honor and a responsibility.
"I'm not just participating in a regular competition. I'm carrying a story with me. I hope it will be a success story," he said.
Both athletes want to do well. They also want people to understand the journeys that brought them here. Speaking through an interpreter, they thanked their coaches, families and others whose support and belief had helped them reach the Games.
Introducing the pair, Olympic Council of Asia Deputy Director General Vinod Kumar Tiwari emphasized that they had earned their places through training and sacrifice, just like every other competitor.
Their presence also carries a wider meaning, he said. For people forced to leave their homes, sport can offer purpose, belonging and hope.
Beyond competition, both athletes also spoke about their experience at the opening ceremony. Through an interpreter, they expressed pride in attending as members of the first refugee team at an Asian Games.
Shiva Keshavan, vice chair of the OCA Athletes Committee, had met them at the athletes' accommodation and spoken with them again before the press conference. They had told him about the people they encountered and the athletes they met while entering the opening ceremony.
For Keshavan, those encounters are part of what sport makes possible.
"They are part of a family. We welcome them with open arms," he said. "The human connections, the bonds that they will make here will last a lifetime."
The questions on Monday also looked beyond the Games: how could the opportunities opened up in Nagoya be sustained once the competition was over?
OCA officials said they would discuss the athletes' needs with them and build on the training support already in place in Jordan. Tiwari expressed hope that refugee team would continue to take part in future Asian Games, drawing on the IOC's experience.
Speaking after the press conference, Mohammad Tayyab Ikram, president of the International Hockey Federation and chair of the OCA Coordination Committee for the 2026 Asian Games, said plans included reaching athletes in more locations and providing access to suitable training facilities.
National Olympic committees and international federations would work together to assess athletes' backgrounds, sporting ability and eligibility, he said. Helping them establish stable lives and continue their sporting careers was particularly important.
Ikram also said he expected the number of refugee athletes participating in the Games to increase. ■
