Olympic refugee team: Judo gave Yolande Bukasa Mabika a 'strong heart'

By Patrick Marché 21/06/2016 13H26

Congolese judoka, who now lives in Rio, took up the sport to heal the pain of being separated from her parents at a young age

Olympic refugee team: Judo gave Yolande Bukasa Mabika a 'strong heart' — Mabika, who sought asylum in Brazil in 2013, trains at Instituto Reação in the western region of the Olympic city (Photo: IOC)

“In my country there is a lot of suffering, to this day there are many people still crying. There is a lot of war, a lot of people being killed.”

Yolande Bukasa Mabika is a judoka from Bukavu, one of the regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) which suffered most during the country’s civil war from 1998 to 2003. Three years after fleeing the DRC, Mabika will represent the first ever Olympic refugee team at Rio 2016 in August.

Mabika was separated from her parents at a very young age. She remembers little of what happened apart from running alone and being picked up and taken by helicopter to Kinshasa, the country’s capital. In Kinshasa, she was taken to a centre for displaced children where she eventually took up the sport of judo.

“Judo never gave me money, but it gave me a strong heart. I got separated from my family and used to cry a lot. I started judo to have a better life,” she says.

Yolande Mabika now trains in Rio de Janeiro alongside her compatriot Popole Misenga who will also compete on the Olympic refugee team at Rio 2016 (Photo: IOC)

As Mabika grew up she began to excel at the sport, competing at major tournaments in the country and abroad. And yet despite the positive effect judo was having on her life, she says she still suffered from a harsh and abusive coaching regime.

At the 2013 judo world championship in Rio de Janeiro, Mabika decided enough was enough and fled from her hotel. After wandering the streets of the city, she managed to seek asylum in Brazil with the help of Catholic charity Cáritas. Today she still lives in Rio and trains at Instituto Reação in the west of the city.

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Initially, Mabika struggled to make ends meet. To support herself and continue training she has worked in a series of odd jobs and informal positions in the city. But the support she has received from the Olympic movement has made things easier for her. “The money from the Olympic Committee helped me to improve my life in Brazil. Now I have money to help me prepare (for competition),” she says.

Earlier this month, Mabika and nine other refugee athletes were chosen to represent the Refugee Olympic Team at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the first such team in history. She will compete in the 70kg category.

With her Olympic debut on the horizon, she wants her participation in the refugee team to be a source of encouragement for other people who have been displaced from their homes. “My message to the refugees of the world would be not to give up on hope and to keep believing, to have faith in their hearts.”

Symbol of hope

Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said he hopes the team will serve as a “symbol of hope” for other refugees and a “signal to the international community” to raise awareness of the global refugee crisis. According to the UN, there are currently more than 59 million displaced people around the world.

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At Rio 2016, the refugee team will participate under the Olympic flag and have the Olympic anthem played in their honour. During their preparation, the refugee athletes have been supported by an Olympic Solidarity fund that is paying for their training and equipment. At the Games they will also be accompanied by an entourage of coaches, medical staff and other officials to ensure they are at their best when competing against the world’s leading athletes.

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