The Refugee Olympic Team was set to be announced during the IOC Executive Board meeting yesterday (8). It was to be bigger than the one chosen for Rio 2016, when it made its debutThe announcement of an expanded Refugee Olympic Team for Tokyo 2020 was to be the highlight of the opening day of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board meeting yesterday (8). It was expected that up to 35 athletes could be selected, representing a significant increase on the 10 who competed in three sports at Rio 2016 when the squad made its debut. Thanks to scholarships provided by the IOC, 55 promising refugee athletes from 13 countries have been given the opportunity to qualify for Tokyo 2020, reported the Inside the Games on Monday (7). The IOC and Tokyo 2020 are battling worldwide criticism that they are continuing to press ahead with preparations for the re-arranged Games, due to open on 23 July and conclude on 8 August, in the face of consistent public opposition in Japan.

Source: The Nation June 09, 2021 12:08 UTC