Connect with us

Politics

What is EOR at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, is it a country and who did Jade Jones lose to in taekwondo?

JADE JONES is out of the Olympic Games at the first hurdle.

The Brit was looking to defend the 57kg Women’s Taekwondo gold medal she won in 2012 and 2016.

GettyThe EOR team are at their second Olympic Games[/caption]

But she met her match in the opening fight against Kimia Alizadeh of the EOR team.

TOKYO OLYMPICS LIVE: All the latest from the Games with our live blog

WHAT’S ON TODAY? Best bits to watch at the Olympics and UK times for your favourite stars

What does EOR mean?

EOR is an acronym of the French name ‘Equipe Olympique des Refugies’.

In English, this means Refugee Olympic Team.

The Refugee team were a proud introduction to the Rio 2016 Olympics, when they went under the acronym ROA (Team of Refugee Olympic Athletes).

It has allowed athletes from war torn countries such as Syria and South Sudan and political dissidents from other nations to fulfil their dreams of competing in the games.

IOC President Thomas Bach said in 2016: “By welcoming the team of Refugee Olympic Athletes to the Olympic Games Rio 2016, we want to send a message of hope for all refugees in our world.

“Having no national team to belong to, having no flag to march behind, having no national anthem to be played, these refugee athletes will be welcomed to the Olympic Games with the Olympic flag and with the Olympic Anthem.

“They will have a home together with all the other 11,000 athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees in the Olympic Village.”

PAKimia Alizadeh stunned Jade Jones in Olympic Taekwondo[/caption]


What country is Kimia Alizadeh from and why did she join the Refugee team?

Kimia Alizadeh was born in Iran in 1998.

In 2016, she made history by becoming the first Iranian woman ever to win a medal at the Olympic Games as she picked up the bronze in Women’s 57kg Taekwondo.

However, in 2020 she defected to Germany and criticised the Iranian government’s attitude towards women in an Instagram post, calling herself “one of the millions of oppressed women in Iran who [Iran’s rulers] have been playing with for years.”

She added: “They took me wherever they wanted. I wore whatever they said.

“Every sentence they ordered me to say, I repeated. Whenever they saw fit, they exploited me.

Alizadeh added that “credit always went to those in charge” and she “didn’t want to sit at the table of hypocrisy, lies, injustice and flattery” any longer, nor remain complicit with the regime’s “corruption and lies.”

Alizadeh had shown an interest in competing for Germany before ultimately joining the EOR team for the Tokyo games.

Who are the EOR athletes?

Alaa Maso – M – Freestyle 50m swimming – SyriaYusra Mardini – F – Butterfly 100m swimming – SyriaDorian Keletala – M – 100m athletics – CongoRose Nathinke Likonyen – F – 800m athletics – South SudanJames Nyang Chiengjiek – M – 800m athletics – South SudanAnjelina Nadai Lohalith – F -1500m athletics – South SudanPaulo Amotun Lokoro – M – 1500m athletics – South SudanJamal Abdelmaj Eisa Mohammed – M – 5000m athletics – SudanTachlowini Gabriyesos – M – Marathon – EritreaAram Mahmoud – M – Badminton – SyriaWessam Salamana – M – Lightweight boxing – SyriaEldric Sella Rodriguez – M – Middleweight boxing – VenezuelaSaeid Fazoula – M – Kayak (K-1) 1000m – IranMasomah Ali Zada – F – Time trial cycling – AfghanistanAhmad Badreddin Wais – M Time trial cycling – SyriaSanda Aldass – F – Judo – SyriaAhmad Alikaj – M – Judo – SyriaMuna Dahouk F – Judo – SyriaJavad Mahjoub – M – Judo – IranPopole Misenga – M – Judo – DR CongoNigara Shaeen – F – Judo – AfghanistanWael Shueb – M – Karate (kata) – SyriaHamoon Derafshipour – M – Karate (kumite) – IranLuna Solomon – F – 10m air rifle shooting – EritreaDina Pourounes Langeroudi – F – 49kg taekwondo – IranKimia Alizadeh – F – 57kg taekwondo – IranAbdullah Sediqi – M – 68kg taekwondo – AfghanistanCyrille Fagat Tchatchet II – M – 96kg weightlifting – CameroonAker Al Obaidi – M – 67kg wrestling – Iraq