FAZLOULA Saeid

General
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN TO GERMANY
He previously represented the Islamic Republic of Iran. While at the 2015 World Championships in Milan, Italy, he took a selfie in front of the Milan Cathedral, which led to him receiving threats in the Islamic Republic of Iran for religious reasons. He fled the country that year, taking the 'Balkan route' to Karlsruhe, Germany. In 2018, three years after he last represented the Islamic Republic of Iran in international competition, he began competing for Germany, where by then he was recognised as a political refugee. "I had everything I wanted in Iran - money, a car and an apartment. The only thing I could do in Germany at the beginning was canoeing. As soon as I pick up the paddle, I forget all my worries. When I lived in a refugee home at the beginning, I was happy that I could go to the club and stay there until evening. Canoeing calms me down." (thefrontierpost.com, 01 Jun 2021; swr.de, 08 Jun 2021; canoeicf.com, 08 Jun 2021; insidethegames.biz, 01 Oct 2020; IOC Refugee Olympic Team Instagram profile, 22 Apr 2021)

REFUGEE OLYMPIC TEAM
He was a candidate for the Refugee Olympic Team ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, but did not end up competing at the 2016 Games. For several years he campaigned alongside coach Detlef Hofmann and other supporters for his inclusion in the Refugee Olympic Team for the 2020 Games in Tokyo. The International Canoe Federation [ICF] also had to change its regulations, as prior to his situation no ICF rules existed on how athletes who have left their country for political or religious reasons could compete internationally. In 2021 he received an International Olympic Committee [IOC] Refugee Athlete Scholarship. "I feel relieved. It's been a long, hard road. So many people fought with and for me. ??I say to every refugee, never give up." (canoeicf.com, 08 Jun 2021; olympics.com, 06 Jun 2021)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
He has undertaken an apprenticeship as a sport and fitness manager, which he expected to complete shortly before the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (archysport.com, 09 Jun 2021; stillmed.olympics.com, 07 Jul 2021)