UNHCR launches social video to support Refugee Olympic and Paralympic Teams

At the centre of the global campaign is ‘The Journey’ – a social video dramatically depicting the extraordinary stories of the refugee Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, today launched a powerful social media campaign calling for the world to support the Refugee Olympic and Paralympic Teams. At the centre of the global campaign is 'The Journey' – a social video dramatically depicting the extraordinary stories of the refugee Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls.

Released today, 6 April, to mark the UN's International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, 'The Journey' tells the dramatized story of a refugee who is forced to flee her home on foot escaping conflict and persecution. Travelling by land and sea, she eventually reaches safety, reestablishes her life and starts running towards a new goal: a medal. Created in collaboration with two IOC Refugee Athlete Scholarship-holders, the social video highlights the power of sport to bring hope and change for all those forced to flee.

There are currently over 60 refugee athletes and Para athletes training in the hope of competing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. UNHCR is working closely with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Paralympic Committee (IPC), to support the current refugee athletes who – despite the challenges of displacement and the Covid 19 pandemic – continue to train to keep their dreams of competing in Tokyo alive.

As the world's leading agency protecting people who've been forced to flee their homes, UNHCR knows that sport is more than just a leisure activity; it has the power to bring hope, heal and help refugees reclaim their futures. With over 80 million people now displaced worldwide, UNHCR is working together with governments, the sporting world, civil society and refugees everywhere to build a better world in which every person forced to flee – including those with disabilities – can access and participate in sport, at all levels.

'The Journey was created for UNHCR, in partnership with the IOC and IPC, by award-winning agency Don't Panic, and directed by Pantera through Anonymous Content.