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‘WE ARE A SYMBOL OF HOPE FOR MILLIONS OF REFUGEES AROUND THE WORLD’YONAS KINDEA STRONG SHOW OF SUPPORTIn line with its plan for 2017-2020, covering the main areas of sport development – athletes, coaches, administrators, promotion of the Olympic values, knowledge-sharing and participation in the Games – Olympic Solidarity has added two new athlete programmes to its roster. Through the Refugee Athlete Support and Athlete Career Transition programmes, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) promises to help an increasingly broad and diverse range of athletes both during and after their competitive careers.The latter programme was formed with a view to supporting athletes who have recently retired or who are due to retire in fi nding new careers, while Refugee Athlete Support has its genesis in one particular highlight of the Olympic Games Rio 2016.In an unprecedented moment in the history of the Games, 10 refugees were chosen by the IOC to form the fi rst-ever Refugee Olympic Team, competing under the Olympic fl ag. Their inspirational collective journey from confl ict and poverty to the greatest sporting spectacle on earth was a powerful show of solidarity, raising awareness of the plight of the millions of refugees around the world and proving that sport can give hope to those in the most desperate of situations. It is in this spirit that the IOC has decided to keep up its efforts by extending the offer of support not just to those refugees who competed in Rio, but also to refugees around the world via Olympic Solidarity’s Refugee Athlete Support programme.With a total budget of USD 3 million spread over four years, the programme is open to all National Olympic Committees (NOCs) whose countries host refugees and are committed to helping the IOC identify and support refugee athletes. Provided the two key criteria are met – namely that the applicant is an offi cial refugee as recognised by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and that he or she is an elite-level athlete – an individual training grant will be made available, covering the recipient’s training and coaching costs. A fi xed travel subsidy can also be requested, which will allow the athlete to take part in top-level competitions worldwide. Having benefi ted from Olympic Solidarity funding in the lead-up to Rio 2016, Ethiopian-born marathon runner Yonas Kinde – who went on to compete for the Refugee Olympic Team – has no doubt that the new programme will transform the fortunes of many others who fi nd themselves in a similar situation to his own.“The Olympic Solidarity programme was a great help fi nancially as I prepared for Rio,” Kinde explains. “I attended a three-week training camp in Switzerland prior to the Games; half the cost of the camp was covered by Olympic Solidarity funds. “I was also able to rent an apartment and buy training equipment, which was invaluable during my preparations for the Games.”More than a year on, Kinde continues to receive Olympic Solidarity support that he hopes will bolster his efforts OLYMPIC REVIEW SPEAKS TO TWO OLYMPIANS ABOUT HOW OLYMPIC SOLIDARITY HAS LAUNCHED NEW PROGRAMMES TO HELP ATHLETES – REFUGEE ATHLETE SUPPORT AND ATHLETE CAREER TRANSITIONPicturedOlympic Solidarity continues to support members of the Refugee Olympic Team after Rio 201664 OLYMPIC REVIEW OLYMPIC SOLIDARITY