honorable mention
Leonardo Mangia
title
Run For Life
During this last Olympic year, the Coronavirus pandemic shut down TLPF!s campus in the hills of Ngong, a few kilometers from Nairobi thus compromising their preparations. All the
athletes were forced to return to their refugee camps and they spent most of 2020 in the Turkana Desert, where the Kakuma refugee camp is based. Most of the athletes are South Sudanese refugees who escaped during their childhood to Kenya because of the war that still ravages their homeland.
They were finally allowed to return to Nairobi in October of 2020 to begin again training full time for the Olympics.
This photo-documentary focuses on the preparation of these world-class athletes for the Tokyo Games and highlights every aspect of their daily routine with a closer look at the difficulties of their daily life. Although their past is a story that must be told, because it stands for the lives of millions of refugees around the world, I also wanted my photographs to represented their present, their future, their dedication and determination to reach their Olympic dream.
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entry description
o bring hope to millions of refugees around the world since 2015, the Tegla Foundation has selected the most talented athletes from several refugee camps and supports their Olympic dream. Thanks to Tegla's efforts the Refugees Olympic Team participated in the Olympic Games in Rio. Following this success, the IOC, with the support of UNHCR, created the Refugees Olympic Team Foundation to support the athletes with scholarships.During this last Olympic year, the Coronavirus pandemic shut down TLPF!s campus in the hills of Ngong, a few kilometers from Nairobi thus compromising their preparations. All the
athletes were forced to return to their refugee camps and they spent most of 2020 in the Turkana Desert, where the Kakuma refugee camp is based. Most of the athletes are South Sudanese refugees who escaped during their childhood to Kenya because of the war that still ravages their homeland.
They were finally allowed to return to Nairobi in October of 2020 to begin again training full time for the Olympics.
This photo-documentary focuses on the preparation of these world-class athletes for the Tokyo Games and highlights every aspect of their daily routine with a closer look at the difficulties of their daily life. Although their past is a story that must be told, because it stands for the lives of millions of refugees around the world, I also wanted my photographs to represented their present, their future, their dedication and determination to reach their Olympic dream.
back to gallery