16 Dec 2021 – IOC Refugee Olympic Team athlete Aram Mahmoud shares why his journey to Tokyo 2020 was so special and discusses the role sport has played in helping to change his life for the better.

As a young player, the Olympic Games are always on your mind. The first time I watched was Beijing 2008, and I remember the men’s badminton final was between two of the sport’s biggest stars [China’s Lin Dan and Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei]. From there, I hoped that I could make it to the Olympics; it was a dream for me. And when the IOC President announced my participation and I was selected to go to Tokyo, it was one of the best moments of my life, because my dream was coming true.

It has been a journey of a lot of ups and downs. Because of the sad situation in my home country of Syria, I had no choice but to leave, but when I first came to the Netherlands, badminton helped me a lot to integrate with others and learn the language. People saw that I was a good player and had some potential, so they were happy to welcome me into their culture. I am very thankful to all the people that helped me on my journey, and there are still a lot of people helping me now, too.

When I first heard that a Refugee Olympic Team was being formed for Rio 2016, it made me really happy, because I knew that people wanted to see it happen. They supported the idea because not only is it the people from their own country who have the chance to participate in the Olympic Games, but also refugees who left their countries and had a lot of difficulties in life. It made me feel like I could actually be there one day, and I knew that to represent millions of refugees around the world would be such an honour.

Being at the Opening Ceremony was something that I will never forget. I really felt that we were one: all in one place, and we all supported each other no matter where we came from. We all had the same goal, and everyone was happy to be a part of these Olympic Games.

Then, during Tokyo, I received a lot of kind messages from people I had never met, supporting me, cheering me on – even if I was playing against someone from their own country! Our message as refugees is peace in the world, and we all wanted to try our best to show that we have skills and abilities, too.

When we are competing in sport, it is like we are in a battle sometimes, and we have to fight hard to win. But the most important part is at the end, when we are at peace and give respect to each other and we shake hands. Everyone wants to win, but everyone is also happy to be there together and participate in the Olympics. It’s such a nice feeling to give everything we have during the match, and then afterwards to have fun together, to return to the same Olympic Village and eat together, for example.

Now, I have to say that it feels amazing [to have been at the Games] because it is something that will stay with me my entire life that no one can take away.

And it’s not just for me: my sister also plays badminton and my father is a coach. The time they spent with me [in Syria] practising and playing didn’t come to nothing, so I’m happy that I was able to represent my family at the Olympic Games and also the refugees around the world.

My message to refugees is to keep doing what you love. Try to leave your problems and difficulties aside when you do your sport and your job, keep your positive mindset, and your chance will come.

Aram Mahmoud was a member of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team at Tokyo 2020, and became the first refugee athlete to participate in badminton at the Games. He is now training towards Paris 2024 with the support of the IOC Refugee Athlete Scholarship programme, while studying Economics and Sports Marketing at the Johan Cruyff Institute in Amsterdam.