Olympic Refuge Foundation and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team Princess of Asturias Award for Sports 2022

Statement by Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, following the granting of the 2022 Princess of Asturias Award for Sports on the Olympic Refuge Foundation and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team.

“We are extremely honoured and grateful to the jury of the Princess of Asturias Foundation. This award is an encouragement to pursue our mission to support refugees and displaced people all around the world to find safety, relief and joy through sport. The Olympic Refuge Foundation is an expression of our long-term commitment to refugees. Unfortunately, with more than 100 million forcibly displaced people around the world, our mission remains of the utmost importance, and our commitment to stand with refugees is stronger than ever. Since the Olympic Games Rio 2016, the IOC Refugee Olympic Team has represented the millions of refugees around the world and drawn the world's attention to the issue of refugees, further advancing efforts to achieve world peace through the elimination of the wars and conflicts that cause people to flee their homeland.”

Thomas Bach
President of the International Olympic Committee
Lausanne (Switzerland), 25th May 2022