Tokyo 2020 Paralympics - Alphonso Davies: Refugee Paralympic Team are the most courageous sports team in the world
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Published 23/08/2021 at 12:27 GMT
"You are role models now with the power to inspire others. Make no mistake, what you are about to do in Tokyo will change people's lives." Bayern Munich defender Alphonso Davies has written a powerful letter to the Refugee Paralympic Team ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Davies, 20, was born in a refugee camp in Ghana.
Alphonso Davies
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Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies has written a letter to the Refugee Paralympic Team to say they are "the most courageous sports team in the world".
Davies, 20, was born in a refugee camp in Ghana after his parents had fled from war-torn Syria. He moved to Canada at the age of five and is now an ambassador for the United Nations refugee charity UNHCR.
In a letter posted on Twitter, Davies says the six athletes representing the RPT in Tokyo "will change people's lives".
"Not everyone understands the journey you have been on," he wrote.
"But I do, and that's an important part of what made me who I am. I've read your stories and learnt about the journeys you have all been through. You are the most courageous sports team in the world right now.
"You are role models now with the power to inspire others. Make no mistake, what you are about to do in Tokyo will change people's lives.
"There are going to be young people who will take up sport because of you. There will be refugees who through watching you succeed will believe they can too."
The six athletes competing for the Refugee Paralympic Team in Tokyo are: Burundi-born taekwondo fighter Parfait Hakizimana, Syria-born canoeist Anas Al Khalifa and swimmer Ibrahim Al Hussein, club thrower Alia Issa, Iran-born discus thrower Shahrad Nasajpour and swimmer Abbas Karimi, who was born in Afghanistan.
"You have found a way to not only practice sport but to perform at the highest levels,” added Davies.
“All those years of dreaming to be on the big stage, all those lung busting sessions in the gym, that hard work and sheer determination has brought you to this moment, the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
"So, go out and do your thing. Do it like you’ve never done it before. Give it 100 per cent. Don’t focus too much on the rewards and go out there with a smile on your face, knowing you worked hard to be there. That’s when you’ll be at your best. And welcome to the show – you belong here."
The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games start on Tuesday, August 24.
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