Dire humanitarian situation in Sudan – IOC promises help
The President of the Sudanese National Olympic Committee, Ahmed Abu Elgasim Hashim, was in Lausanne on Wednesday to report on the dire humanitarian situation in his country. With a civil war raging in Sudan for just over a year, conservative estimates put the death toll at more than 15,000 killed, with 30,000 injured. A recent United Nations report to the Security Council estimates that 222,000 children could die of malnutrition and that millions are on the brink of famine, with reports of “mass graves, gang rapes and indiscriminate attacks on densely populated areas”. The famine and violence have led to more than 7.2 million displaced people.
Meeting with IOC President Thomas Bach, President Hashim reported on the terrible conditions in his country and also highlighted the grave situation for the Olympic Community and for sport in the country, with the NOC headquarters destroyed and sporting infrastructure badly damaged. He also told President Bach that many members of the Olympic Community were trapped in the country’s capital, Khartoum, because of the escalating and unpredictable violence there.
President Hashim, who is also Secretary General of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), added: “Despite the extremely dire situation in my country, sport can still play a role in bringing people together."
With the support of the IOC, the Olympic Games Paris 2024 can act as a beacon of hope for my fellow citizens and provide proof of the resilience of the Sudanese, even under such difficult circumstances.
President Bach expressed sympathy on behalf of the entire Olympic Movement. “I was deeply moved on learning about the scale of the tragedy unfolding in Sudan,” he said. “As a sports organisation, we must acknowledge the limits of what we can do. We are fully activating our partnership with the UN system, and in particular UNHCR, to offer our contribution to the aid effort with regard to the Olympic Community in Sudan. We are committed to immediate ‘ad hoc’ help to those in extreme need and will also strengthen our support for the Sudanese athletes who have the chance to represent Sudan at the Olympic Games Paris 2024."
Through Olympic Solidarity and the Olympic Refuge Foundation, the IOC will offer physical and mental health support through sports programmes for displaced people in refugee camps.
He added that the IOC was committed to helping the members of the Olympic Community in Sudan in most need with regard to their basic needs and safety and security.
A number of NOCs are already giving assistance, by hosting Sudanese athletes who have had to flee the violence and famine, and the IOC will strengthen this support to give them an extra boost in their preparations ffor the Olympic Games Paris 2024, beyond the Olympic scholarships they already receive.