Sport and refugees weekly: 28 March 2021

Alphonso Davies becomes the first footballer to take UNHCR’s Goodwill Ambassador title (UNHCR)
Alphonso Davies, an FC Bayern Munich and Canadian Men's National Football Team player, has been signed on by the UNHCR as its newest Goodwill Ambassador. Davies was born in a refugee camp in Ghana to Liberian parents who fled the civil war in their home country. His family resettled in Canada when he was 5, and he started playing professional football at 15. He holds the title of being the youngest player ever on Canada's Men's National Team, having joined the team when he was just 16.
Research on sports and attitudes towards refugees (University of British Columbia)
New research by Leah Rosenzweig (Stanford University) and Yang-Yang Zhou (University of British Columbia) seeks to understand how a national sports team win will increase national pride while also increasing negative sentiments towards foreigners and refugees. However, they offer experimental evidence that the narrative can be changed so as to reframe these events to promote diversity and inclusion.
Introducing Rose Ihisa Karlo Uwaro – Refugee Athlete Scholarship-holder (Olympic Channel)
Rose Ihisa is a 21-year old IOC Refugee Athlete Scholarship holder. Originally from South Sudan, Rose is a long distance runner who now trains in Kenya. Her dream is to be a part of the Refugee Olympic Team.
Vintage French rugby pros tackle refugee integration in the vineyards (UN News)
Though Bordeaux is famous for its wine, it is also the heartland of French Rugby. An association run by former rugby professionals is supporting the integration of refugees in the region through career training, work opportunities and regular sports sessions.
A service game with a difference: How an Irish tennis coach is helping refugee kids (Irish Examiner)
Wes O'Brien is an Irish tennis coach who volunteers with Lighthouse Relief in Ritsona, central Greece, to run tennis camps for refugee children and youth. Know more about his experiences.
Francis Ngannou has become the first UFC heavyweight champion from Africa after defeating Stipe Miocic. Ngannou left Cameron as a refugee and was living on the streets of Paris before joining a gym and becoming a boxer.
Tergat Appointed Olympic Refugee Foundation Board Member (All Africa)
Paul Tergat, the former Kenyan long distance runner and head of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya has been appointed as a board member of the Olympic Refugee Foundation. Kenya is one of the hosts of the Olympic Refugee Team, with 18 IOC refugee scholarship holders training in the country.
This information has been compiled by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.
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