Violet Organization, a nongovernmental organization that provides humanitarian aid in northern Syria, organized on Aug. 7 an Olympics camp at the Yaman camp near the city of Idlib in northwest Syria, with the participation of 120 Syrian children from different displaced camps. The competition included sports and activities such as javelin throw, hurdling, soccer and others.
Ibrahim Sarmini, director of the protection program at Violet Organization, told Al-Monitor, “Today, we stand at the Tent Olympics that Violet Organization is holding, in conjunction with the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (held July 23-Aug. 8). The main objective behind the competition is to encourage our people and children who are living in the camps.”
“Regarding the Syrian athletes who participated at the Tokyo 2020 games, [they belong to] the team competing on behalf of the Syrian regime and it does not represent us at all. I can’t even get myself to watch them, because the regime is the main reason why there are people in the camps,” he said, adding, “I am seeking to improve the children’s skills to become resilient, learn about other cultures and focus on creativity in the future. This may open prospects for a good future in Syria. The children who are participating [in the Tent Olympics] competed to win top places in the games and were cheered by other children amid joy, which was seen on the faces of the audience.”
Sarmini added, “More than 100 Syrian children are competing in the event to win medals. The competition includes javelin throw, hurdling and running short races alongside the tents spread in the camps. Before sunset last Saturday, 120 children from 12 camps from around the city of Idlib competed in the competition. Their ages range between 8 and 14 years. They wore their sports uniforms with the colors of their camp, and they were divided by games, which also included horse races. The white lines of the soccer field were drawn with chalk over the dirt surrounding the tents. Next to it, there was a rectangular obstacle course. At the end of the games, the names of the winners were announced, and they were given medals on a podium amid the applause and cheers of the audience.”
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