The Tokyo 2020 Olympics officially opened on Friday with an impressive opening ceremony but in the spectre of COVID-19. The ceremony, attended by only 950 spectators at the Olympic Stadium, was defined by hope, tradition and gestures of diversity. The Tokyo 2020 organisers faced unprecedented challenges in kicking off the Games, postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thomas Bach, the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), expressed his delight as the biggest sports show on the planet got underway after months of speculations. “Today is a moment of hope. Yes, it is very different from what all of us imagined. But finally we are all here together.”
While the organisers were facing a gigantic task to make the mega event happen, athletes from some countries also needed assistance in their preparations for the Games and generous Qatar was right there for the support. Apart from providing vaccination to the athletes, Qatar hosted a Refugee Olympic Team’s training camp to help them prepare for the Olympics. Days before the Tokyo 2020, the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) completed its vaccination programme for the athletes who were unable to be vaccinated against the coronavirus in their home countries, prior to their departure for Tokyo. The initiative came within the framework of QOC’s partnership with the IOC in coordination with the National Olympic Committees. Apart from Qatar, Rwanda was the other centre to provide vaccines to groups of participants in the Olympics and Paralympic Games.
Two weeks ahead of the Olympics, the QOC also hosted 29-athlete Refugee Olympic Team for a training camp providing them best facilities at state-of-the-art Aspire Dome in Doha. The training camp for athletes – representing 11 countries – came within the framework of Qatar’s support for refugees around the world, and as an additional initiative that reflects the well-established partnership between the QOC, the IOC and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees through the Olympic Refugee Foundation. The QOC is a supportive and founding partner in the International Olympic Refugee Foundation which aims to continue the efforts adopted by the IOC over the past years to support refugees all over the world. QOC President H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani also met with the athletes and motivated them ahead of their campaign in Games.
The QOC also gave all out support to its own Olympic-bound athletes in their preparations that included overseas training camps. Qatar is taking part in Olympics with 15 athletes, who are hoping to win medals for the country. Tala Abujbara, who was Qatar’s joint flag bearer with Mohammed Al Rumaihi for the opening ceremony parade, has already made history by becoming the first Qatari rower to compete at the Games.
