IOC, UNHCR and DISCOVERY unite talent from the worlds of sport and entertainment ‘In Conversation’ with IOC Refugee Olympic Team Tokyo 2020
As part of its Olympic Day activations, the IOC, in partnership with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and Discovery, has launched ‘In Conversation’, a series of exclusive interviews bringing together members of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team Tokyo 2020 with personalities from the world of sport, film and entertainment.
The first conversation, released today, features swimmer and Refugee Olympic Team athlete Yusra Mardini, together with US Olympic champion swimmer Katie Ledecky.
‘In conversation: Yusra & Katie’ provides a unique perspective. The youngest-ever UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, Yusra Mardini, who was a member of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team Rio 2016 and was recently announced as part of the Tokyo 2020 team, meets five-time Olympic swimming gold medallist Katie Ledecky. Also set to compete at Tokyo 2020 for Team USA, Ledecky is the most decorated woman in swimming history, with 15 World Championship gold medals as well as her Olympic titles.
Each episode of the series will feature different members of the recently announced IOC Refugee Olympic Team Tokyo 2020. Twenty-nine refugee athletes will come together to compete at the Olympic Games this summer in 12 different sports and originating from 11 countries around the world. The first Refugee Olympic Team was created by the IOC ahead of the Olympic Games Rio 2016.
‘In Conversation’ seeks to promote the incredible journeys of the Olympic refugee athletes. The conversations will provide new perspectives on refugees’ stories and raise awareness of the power of sport to help displaced people rebuild their lives.
Later episodes will see UNHCR Goodwill Ambassadors such as actress Nomzamo Mbatha and footballer and former refugee Alphonso Davies paired with members of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team, including Anjelina Nadai Lohalith, the South Sudan-born 1500m athlete, and freestyle swimmer Alaa Maso, originally from Aleppo, Syria. As each athlete and supporter become acquainted, intimate conversations follow and capture the compelling stories of the athletes, their challenging journeys, and how they have overcome adversity to complete at the world’s greatest sporting event.
The series can be found across IOC, UNHCR, and Discovery platforms, including discovery+ and Eurosport.com.