On the occasion of their debut with APOEL FC last night, the Athletic Club Bilbao took the time to show their solidarity with refugees and asylum seekers in Cyprus.
On the occasion of their debut with APOEL FC last night, the Athletic Club Bilbao took the time to show their solidarity with refugees and asylum seekers in Cyprus. To encourage and support their participation in sports, a delegation of the team’s board visited the UNHCR Office and donated various sports wear for distribution to interested refugees and asylum seekers. This is a laudable humanitarian gesture indeed and we are grateful for that.
“In an era where refugees need our support more than ever, football has the power to bring people together. Through its universal language, football can combat polarization and stereotypes, promote the virtues of tolerance, multiculturalism, diversity, mutual respect and inclusion,” says UNHCR Representative, Damtew Dessalegne.
In the wake of the refugee emergency in Europe, a number of European teams and football clubs have been showing solidarity to the refugee cause by actively welcoming refugees or organizing training sessions and other initiatives to help refugees find a place and restore their futures.
For the UN Refugee Agency, sports have an immense role to play in the development and well-being of refugees, particularly children, all over the world. Like many sports, football in particular, can provide refugees – especially young people – with a sense of normality and structure when they are living in very unfamiliar and difficult conditions. In a world where an increasing number of people are forced to flee war and persecution, football can help refugees find peace.
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