Refugee Olympic Team leader Tegla Loroupe urges Australia to ‘open their arms’ to the displaced, with Brisbane set to host 2032 Games
- Chef de mission of Tokyo Olympics refugee team says displaced people are oppressed – ‘why oppress them again when you have the opportunity to help?’
- The IOC in June announced Brisbane as the preferred host of the 2032 Olympic Games two days after revealing its 29-strong refugee team
The mother-figure taking care of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team wants more countries to open their arms to displaced people – taking a subtle swipe at the policies of Australia, which may be forced to welcome refugee athletes if Brisbane is successful in its bid to host the 2032 Games.
Kenya’s “Mama” Tegla Loroupe, the chef de mission of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team and a former distance running world record holder, will be leading the squad for the second time after they made their Olympic debut in Rio in 2016.
More than 500 asylum seekers are detained in Australia, many of them kept in hotels after spending years on offshore detention centres in Manus Island, Papua New Guinea or Nauru. Until April, dozens of refugees were held in Brisbane. New Zealand has offered to take in 150 refugees a year but the Australian government has steadfastly refused to accept the deal.
When asked what message she had for countries such as Australia, Loroupe told the Post: “The more you keep someone in that hotel the more you are feeding them [and spending money], so you are making the wrong decision.