Great Kenyan runner Tegla Loroupe welcomed the participation of the refugee team at the Asian Games and called for closer cooperation between Africa and Asia in the field of sports development.
Speaking with Shen Xiang from CGTN Sports Scene, the former marathon world record holder noted that providing opportunities to compete for displaced athletes is particularly important, as refugee status is not their choice.
The OCA refugee team is appearing at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya for the first time in 2026. It includes Syrian taekwondo athletes Mahmoud Al Jassim, Mohammad Al Hussein, and Talal Al Hassan Al Hinide, who reside in the Azraq refugee camp in Jordan.
Loroupe, who has actively supported refugee athletes for over ten years, recalled how she first approached the International Olympic Committee to create opportunities for them after observing the living conditions of refugees in Kenya.
She was later appointed Head of Mission for the first Olympic Refugee Team at the Rio Summer Olympics in 2016. This historic group consisted of 10 athletes, six of whom participated in athletics.
Furthermore, Loroupe emphasized the potential for expanding interaction between Africa and Asia. She observed that many African athletes lack opportunities to participate in sports requiring specialized facilities, while the continent's experience in long-distance running could be beneficial to Asian competitors.
The 53-year-old athlete pointed to her native Kenya as a potential training center, stating that Asian athletes could benefit from Kenya's long-distance running expertise while enjoying the country's hospitality.
Loroupe then shared her impressions of the progress of Chinese sports since the first participation in competitions with a Chinese athlete in 1993. She added that Chinese long-distance runners are becoming increasingly competitive and praised the country's efforts to encourage youth to engage in sports.
The three-time half marathon world champion concluded her speech with advice for young athletes in Africa and Asia, emphasizing the importance of discipline, self-confidence, hard work, and listening to experienced coaches, rather than excessive reliance on social media.
Loroupe won three consecutive half marathon world titles from 1997 to 1999 and twice broke the women's marathon world record, lowering the mark to 2:20:43 in Berlin in 1999.