Refugee swimmer, who lost part of his leg in Syrian war, to carry Rio 2016 Olympic Torch
Ibrahim Al-Hussein says he will carry Olympic flame for the world’s refugees when the torch relay reaches the Eleonas camp in Athens
Ibrahim Al-Hussein will represent the world's refugees when he carries the Rio 2016 Olympic Torch (UNHCR/Yorgos Kyvernitis)
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) announced today (22 April) the name of the refugee who will carry the Rio 2016 Olympic Torch on Tuesday (April 26). Ibrahim Al-Hussein, a Syrian refugee who now resides in Athens, will carry the Olympic flame through the Eleonas refugee and migrant camp in the Greek capital.
The symbolic act aims “to show solidarity with the world’s refugees at a time when millions are fleeing war and persecution worldwide” said an article on the UNHCR website. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced the plan in January during a visit to the camp. The IOC is also mounting a special refugee team to compete at the Rio 2016 Games.
The Rio 2016 Torch Relay began on Thursday (21 April) after the Olympic flame was lit in Olympia. After a seven-day tour of Greece and a visit to the United Nations and Olympic Museum in Switzerland, the torch will begin a 95-day relay around Brazil on 3 May.
“It is an honour. Imagine achieving one of your biggest dreams. Imagine that your dream of more than 20 years is becoming a reality”
Ibrahim Al-Hussein, Syrian refugee and Rio 2016 Torch bearer
Who is Ibrahim Al-Hussein?
Al-Hussein grew up in Syria's Deir Ezzor province on the Iraqi border and was involved in sports since he was a child – swimming, basketball and judo. The 27-year-old dreamed of one day participating in the Olympic Games before the war interrupted his athletic career.
In 2012, he rushed to help a friend who had been seriously injured during a bombing and was hit by a bomb himself. His right leg had to be amputated from the mid-calf down. He fled to Turkey, then Samos, a Greek island, in 2014 to seek asylum.
Al-Hussein has joined a swimming club in Athens and aims to get back to his best (Photo: UNHCR/Archilleas Zavallis)
When granted asylum in Greece, Al-Hussein sought after ways to get his life back, which included getting involved with sports again. Joining local sports leagues for athletes with a disability, he now plays wheelchair basketball and swims the 50m freestyle.
“I am carrying the flame for myself, but also for Syrians, for refugees everywhere, for Greece, for sports, for my swimming and basketball teams”
Ibrahim Al-Hussein
Despite all that he has been through, Al-Hussein remains strong. “My goal is to never give up, but to go on, to always go forward,” he said. “And that I can achieve through sports.”
