The Olympic Aid Team, made up of Olympic athletes, coaches and a film crew, is travelling in The Sudan and Eritrea from July 31 st to August 8 th . Its aim is to bring the Olympic Spirit of participation, hope and human dignity to those who need it most – the child refugees living in the horn of Africa.
The Situation
Recent bouts of fighting have driven more than 80,000 Eritreans – over half of whom are children – to neighbouring Eritrea in search of safety. These numbers are in addition to the 150,000 Eritrean refugees already living in Sudan. Although most of the refugees’ immediate needs have been met, there still remain major food, water and shelter shortages; these conditions, once exacerbated by 40 degree temperatures in the region, are now further intensified by the current rainy season.
Delivering Hope
Olympic Aid’s goals during its mission are two-fold. First, Olympic Aid will deliver relief to the children of Sudanese and Eritrean refugee camps. The Team will spend a week in the refugee camps surrounding Kassala and in Eritrea itself in order to visit medical and education centres as well as organize Olympic Festivals for the children. Two Norwegian coaches will be sent ahead of the Olympic Aid team in order to train Eritrean refugees through a ‘Coach the Coach’ program so that Olympic Aid’s efforts might lead to sustainable programming in the future. Additionally, Olympic Aid will be delivering sporting equipment – generously donated by Nike – which will remain in the camps after Olympic Aid leaves.
The Right to Play – A Documentary
The second goal of Olympic Aid’s mission is to raise global awareness of the plight of disadvantaged children. To this effect, Olympic Aid will be accompanied by Toronto-based production company, Very Small Films, that will be filming a documentary entitled ‘The Right to Play’ that will explore the effects of sport and recreation opportunities on the children living in Sudanese and Eritrean refugee camps.
In 1989, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Article 31 of the Convention recognizes the right of the child to rest and leisure and to engage in play and recreational activities. The power of sport as a tool for psychological healing should not be underestimated. Research has shown that sport can help children overcome the stress of conflict and displacement, allowing them to express events around them and to cope with trauma. For this reason, Olympic Aid strongly believes that the child’s right to play must be respected.
This documentary will be aired on various television stations worldwide, including the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), during the Olympic Games. It will also be viewed in September at the International Conference on War-Affected Children in Winnipeg, Canada. Olympic Aid is confident that this film will lead to a greater awareness of the manifold challenges currently faced by refugee children across the globe.
The Athletes
The Olympic Aid Team consists of five former Olympic athletes. Johann Koss, Norwegian speed skater and quadruple gold medallist, is heading up the Team as Chairperson of Olympic Aid. Canadian Rower and bronze medallist Silken Laumann joins the Team as well as five-time medallist Australian swimmer Shane Gould. The fourth and fifth members of the Team are Americans Mike Powell and Trent Dimas – track and field and gymnastics Olympians respectively. Trent won gold in the high bar competition in 1992 and Mike holds the World Record in long jump.
Source: IOC