Canberra refugee Amir Jafari gets a kick out of kickboxing

Amir was born in Iran but moved to Turkiye at the age, where he rose through the kickboxing ranks. He and his family immigrated to Australia almost a year ago, after having lived in Turkey for 10 years.

Speaking to ABC News, Jafari faced many barriers that prevented refugees like himself from signing up for sports.

"The first challenge was I do not speak the language, so it was an issue," he was quoted as saying.

"The other one was familiarity with the place, I was new so I wasn't really familiar with the place I had come to."

According to the Australian Sports Commission's November 2022 National Sport and Physical Activity Participation Report, just 13 per cent of Australian adults who speak a language other than English at home participate in sport through a club or association at least once a year.

Refugees also shy away from structured sports due to costs.

Jafari revealed his big plans to continue his kickboxing career in Australia.

"I'll give this commitment to the Australian government: I will do my best to try and represent Australia at the international level, at the Olympics, God willing," he said.

Source: ABC News