“In Conversation”: IOC, UNHCR und Discovery bringen Menschen aus Sport und Unterhaltung mit dem Flüchtlingsteam für die Olympischen Spiele Tokyo 2020 zusammen

● Die erste Episode von “In Conversation” feiert am heutigen Olympic Day (23. Juni) Premiere und unterstützt das IOC Refugee Olympic Team Tokyo 2020, das mehr als 80 Millionen zwangsweise Vertriebene auf der ganzen Welt repräsentiert

● Mit Yusra Mardini, Goodwill Ambassador beim UNHCR, dem Flüchtlingshilfwerk der Vereinten Nationen, und der fünfmaligen Goldmedaillengewinnerin im Schwimmen, Katie Ledecky aus den USA

● Weitere Episoden auf dem Weg zu den Olympischen Spielen mit Flüchtlingssportler:innen Anjelina Nadai Lohalith und Alaa Maso, den UNHCR Goodwill Ambassadors Nomzamo Mbatha und Alphonso Davies und vielen weiteren

● “In Conversation” - ab 23. Juni 2021 bei Olympics.com, UNHCR und über die Discovery Plattformen inklusive .de

Als Teil der Feierlichkeiten zum Olympic Day am 23. Juni und in der Woche, in der der Weltflüchtlingstag begangen wird, starten olympics.com, das UN Flüchtlingshilfwerk und Discovery eine exklusive Interviewserie mit den bewegenden Geschichten der Athleten des IOC Refugee Olympic Teams.

Die Episoden, die die Sportler:innen des Flüchtlingsteams mit großen Namen aus Film, Unterhaltung und Sport zusammenbringen, werden im Vorfeld der Olympischen Spiele Tokyo 2020 ausgestrahlt und zeigen Mitglieder des IOC Refugee Olympic Teams, das 29 Athleten umfasst, von denen sechs in Deutschland trainieren. Das Team stammt aus elf Ländern der Welt und wurde vom IOC unter Präsident Dr. Thomas Bach im Vorfeld der Olympischen Spiele Rio 2016 ins Leben gerufen. Die Serie zeigt die Geschichten der Athleten und möchte damit einen Funken der Hoffnung an die 82,4 Millionen zwangsweise Vertriebenen auf der Welt senden.

Produziert von Eurosport, der führenden Multisport-Marke von Discovery und Home of the Olympics in Europa*, in Partnerschaft mit dem IOC und dem UNHCR, dem Flüchtlingshilfswerk der Vereinten Nationen, stellt "In Conversation...” einige dieser faszinierenden Geschichten einem neuen Publikum vor. Die Gespräche bieten neue Perspektiven auf die Erlebnisse von Flüchtlingen und stellen die Kraft des Sports in den Fokus, der vertriebenen Menschen helfen kann, ihr Leben wieder aufzubauen.

“In conversation: Yusra & Katie” bietet einzigartige Perspektiven. Die jüngste UNHCR- Botschafterin aller Zeiten, Yusra Mardini, die Mitglied der IOC-Flüchtlings-Olympiamannschaft Rio 2016 war und diesen Sommer in Tokyo antreten wird, trifft auf die fünfmalige olympische Goldmedaillengewinnerin im Schwimmen, Katie Ledecky. Ledecky, die auch in Tokyo 2020 für die USA antreten wird, ist die höchstdekorierte Frau in der Geschichte des Schwimmsports. Neben ihren Olympiasiegen gewann sie auch 15 Goldmedaillen bei Weltmeisterschaften.

In weiteren Episoden werden UNHCR-Botschafter wie die Schauspielerin Nomzamo Mbatha oder der Fußballer und ehemalige Flüchtling Alphonso Davies mit Mitgliedern des IOC Refugee Olympic Teams, darunter Anjelina Nadai Lohalith, die im Südsudan geborene 1500m-Läuferin, oder dem aus dem syrischen Aleppo stammende Schwimmer Alaa Maso zusammengebracht, die gemeinsame Erfahrungen teilen. Während die Athlet:innen und Unterstützer:innen sich kennenlernen, folgen intime Gespräche, die die fesselnden Geschichten der Athlet:innen, ihre spannenden Lebensläufe einfangen und zeigen, wie sie die Widrigkeiten überwunden haben, um beim größten Sportereignis der Welt zu bestehen. Die Serie ist auf allen Plattformen von UNHCR, IOC und Discovery zu sehen, einschließlich eurosport.de.

“In Conversation" folgt auf die Ankündigung des IOC, dass das Refugee Olympic Team zu Beginn dieses Monats nach Tokyo reisen wird. Eine Kampagne zur weiteren Unterstützung des IOC Refugee Olympic Team Tokyo 2020 startet Eurosport in Zusammenarbeit mit dem IOC im Juli.

-ENDE-

*Ausgenommen Russland. Official Broadcaster in Frankreich und Großbritannien für Tokyo 2020.

Notes to Editor

Episode 1 (In conversation: Yusra & Katie): https://www.eurosport.com/swimming/tokyo- 2020/2021/in-conversation-olympic-swimmers-yusra-mardini-and-katie- ledecky_vid1495306/video.shtml?utm_campaign=WW-EU-E1-DIS-C11-PR-CAM-AW-W- SummerSports-Olympics-210623-NA&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pr.com&utm_content=text- paid-prcom-id1

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Transcript and assets: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1M6w-3IP0jEseuHWfs-S28bHkIiOAvzwo

About Yusra Mardini:

Syrian refugee and Olympic swimmer Yusra Mardini was appointed the youngest ever Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency in April 2017, aged just 19. She advocates for refugees globally through sharing her own inspiring story and has become a powerful voice for the forcibly displaced across the world and an example of their resilience and determination to rebuild lives and positively contribute to host communities.

Yusra was selected to compete at Rio 2016 as part of the first ever Refugee Olympic Team. She was catapulted on to the world’s stage and subsequently went on to address world leaders at the UN General Assembly, meet the Pope and be honoured with several awards. Yusra’s incredible story is told in her memoir ‘Butterfly: From Refugee to Olympian - My Story of Rescue, Hope and Triumph’ which is currently being adapted into a film.

Yusra has spoken on behalf of UNHCR at Google Zeitgeist, WE Day, the World Economic Forum in Davos and many other global stages. She also supports UNHCR campaigns and events and fundraising activities. Yusra will compete at Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 this summer.

About Katie Ledecky:

Katie Ledecky is a 5-time Olympic Gold medalist and 15-time World Championship Gold medalist who will be competing at the Tokyo Olympics this summer. Katie has dominated on the world stage since the age of 15 where she was the youngest athlete on Team USA at the 2012 London Games, winning her first Olympic Gold medal. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Katie was the most decorated female athlete winning four Gold medals, one Silver medal, and breaking two world records.

As the granddaughter of a Czech émigré who defected to the US in 1947, Katie continues to spread awareness about the plight of refugees around the world through her involvement with the UN Refugee Agency. Katie is a recent graduate of Stanford University with a B.A. in Psychology and is passionate about the importance of education, especially STEM and leadership programs for girls.

Press Contacts:

UNHCR: Sarah Epstein [email protected] + 44 7572601088

Alicia Hosking [email protected] +1 917 565 3025

IOC: IOC Press Office [email protected]

Discovery: James Hillier E: [email protected] M: +44 7778 129 413

About the IOC Refugee Olympic Team: At the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in October 2015, confronted with the global refugee crisis that has seen millions of people in the world displaced, IOC President Thomas Bach announced the creation of the Refugee Olympic Team – the first of its kind – to take part in the Olympic Games Rio 2016. Ten months on from the announcement, 10 refugee athletes, were competing alongside 11,000 fellow athletes in Brazil, sending a message of hope and inclusion to millions of refugees around the world and inspiring the world with the strength of their human spirit. Following the success of the Refugee Olympic Team Rio 2016, the IOC decided in 2018 that there would be an IOC Refugee Olympic Team Tokyo 2020. On 8 June, the IOC announced that 29 athletes competing in 12 sports will take part in the Games this summer. This unique project demonstrates the IOC’s commitment to stand with refugees and support them through sport, and it also shows how Olympic Solidarity, through its Refugee Athlete Support Programme, helps refugee athletes not only to train with the aim of qualifying for the Olympic Games but also to continue their sporting career and build their future. A IOC Refugee Olympic Team is planned for both the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026.You can follow and support the IOC Refugee Olympic Team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About UNHCR: UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution. We lead international action to protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities and people without a nationality. We deliver life-saving assistance like shelter, food and water, help safeguard fundamental human rights, and develop solutions that ensure people have a safe place to call home where they can build a better future. We also work to ensure that stateless people are granted a nationality. We are in over 130 countries, using our expertise to protect and care for millions. www.unhcr.org

About IOC: The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit, civil, non-governmental, international organisation made up of volunteers which is committed to building a better world through sport. It redistributes more than 90 per cent of its income to the wider sporting movement, which means that every day the equivalent of USD 3.4 million goes to help athletes and sports organisations at all levels around the world.

About Discovery: Discovery, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is a global leader in real life entertainment, serving a passionate audience of superfans around the world with content that inspires, informs and entertains. Discovery delivers over 8,000 hours of original programming each year and has category leadership across deeply loved content genres around the world. Available in 220 countries and territories and nearly 50 languages, Discovery is a platform innovator, reaching viewers on all screens, including TV Everywhere products such as the GO portfolio of apps; direct-to-consumer streaming services such as discovery+, Kitchen and MotorTrend OnDemand; digital- first and social content from ; a landmark natural history and factual content partnership with the BBC; and a strategic alliance with PGA TOUR to create the international home of golf. Discovery’s portfolio of premium brands includes , HGTV, Food Network, TLC, , , MotorTrend, , , and the forthcoming multi-platform JV with Chip and Joanna Gaines, Magnolia Network, as well as OWN: in the U.S., in Latin America, and Eurosport, the leading provider of locally relevant, premium sports and Home of the Olympic Games across Europe. For more information, please visit corporate.discovery.com and follow @DiscoveryIncTV across social platforms.

About discovery+: discovery+ is the definitive non-fiction, real-life subscription streaming service. discovery+ will launch with a landmark partnership with Verizon that gives their customers with select plans up to 12 months of discovery+ on Verizon. At launch in the United States, discovery+ will have the largest-ever content offering of any new streaming service, featuring a wide range of exclusive, original series across popular, passion verticals in which Discovery brands have a strong leadership position, including lifestyle and relationships; home and food; true crime; paranormal; adventure and natural history; as well as science, tech and the environment and a slate of high-quality documentaries. For more, visit discoveryplus.com.

About Eurosport: Eurosport is the number one sport destination in Europe, unlocking the power of sport through localised content from the world’s greatest sporting events. As the Home of the Olympic Games in Europe, Discovery is bringing Eurosport to discovery+, the real-life direct-to-consumer streaming service, starting in a range of international markets during 2021. Firmly established as the Home of Cycling, Grand Slam Tennis and Winter Sport, Eurosport channels – , – reach 246 million cumulative subscribers across 75 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Eurosport.com is Europe’s No 1 online sports news website with an average of 30 million unique users per month. Eurosport Events specializes in the management and promotion of international sporting events. More information is available by visiting corporate.eurosport.com.