The desire of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to highlight the fate of exiles through an Olympic delegation of refugees has as its corollary the concern for the image of a body long tainted by suspicions of corruption. Alternatively, an indictment of Tsunekazu Takeda, vice-president of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, suspected of having participated in the payment of 2 million euros during the Japanese candidacy campaign. Or, for the Rio Games, the indictment of the president of the Brazilian Olympic Committee Carlos Nuzman, suspected of having received bribes.
A positive and above all very media-friendly image
“We must not be fooled, it is also a beautiful image that the IOC is buying with this Olympic team of refugees, analyzes in this regard William Gasparini, sociologist specializing in the study of sport. The somewhat conventional media discourse consists in saying that the Olympic Games carry this solidarity project. It is a humanitarian bond. »
For the specialist, if sport has a potential for integration, “it does not always reflect the reality on the ground”. “Sport can just as well turn out to be a framework of exacerbated nationalism, exclusion and discrimination,” he points out.
“Sport is also about competition. It can be difficult to see the social bond side, when two nations confront each other”, concedes for his part Stéphane Oyono Bisso, member of the Kabubu association which campaigns for the social and professional inclusion of exiled people through sport. “For the refugees, who do not really belong to a defined nation, the challenge is twofold,” he acknowledges.
The story and journeys told by the Olympic Games refugee team “however” attracts sympathy from the general public, says Céline Schmitt, spokesperson and head of external relations for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (UNHCR) in Paris. “These stories cannot leave you indifferent. We can see the courage of these athletes who overcame everything to rebuild themselves and who despite everything went after their dreams. »
Stéphane Oyono Bisso agrees: “By dint of rubbing shoulders with exiled people, I realize that some have experienced sometimes inhuman things. This paradoxically brings a very human look at what they are. The practice of sport, according to the cultures, does not always result in the same way, the habits and customs differ according to the country and the origins. “Within a delegation made up of several nationalities, the richness of cultures is multiplied, that’s what catches the eye”, underlines the member of Kabubu.
Céline Schmitt, present in the Democratic Republic of Congo during the Rio Games, remembers: “In the heart of Mole, one of the largest refugee camps, we had installed screens so that everyone could follow the team’s performance. Olympic. They all told me that they felt represented by them. »
An inspiring team
Following the success of the Refugee Olympic Team during its first participation in 2016, the IOC launched the Olympic Refuge Foundation in September 2017. Working in cooperation with the Olympic Movement, the United Nations, or international organizations and the private sector, the latter aims to provide access to safe sport to one million young displaced people by 2024. Currently, there are 200 000 young people who benefit from sports programs designed to improve their well-being and social integration.
Inspired by the Olympic Committee, the International Cycling Union (UCI) decided for its part, in September 2022, to create a status of “refugee athlete” to allow riders not to be attached to their countries of origin. in competition.
There is still a long way to go, but “a lot of projects are being set up in France, says Céline Schmitt. Refugees, who have left everything behind, first and foremost need to rebuild ties with their new neighbours. And sport is probably the best way to do it.
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