YOVARI Mahdi

General
TRAINING FOR TOKYO
In preparation for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo he trained under Italian shooter Niccolo Campriani, who was inspired by the 2016 Olympic Refugee Team to start the Make A Mark project, with the goal of training refugees to compete in sport. Campriani looked for several refugees near his home in Lausanne, Switzerland to recruit for shooting. Mahdi was selected by Campriani, along with EOR team member Luna Solomon, to train in 10m air rifle, and compete at international events. "When I left Iran, I could not choose my destination. But now, through the Make a Mark project, I have been able to control my path towards my goal, the Olympic Games, where I will proudly represent my native country, Afghanistan. I have dreamt of the Games every day since being selected for this project, and it feels incredible for this dream to have now become my reality." (olympics.com, 19 Jun 2020; sportanddev.oirg, 08 Jun 2021)

AFGHANISTAN TO IRAN
He was born in Afghanistan and raised in the Islamic Republic of Iran. He had to leave his family as a teenager, seeking asylum in Europe and eventually settling in Nyon, Switzerland. "By competing at the Games, I want to send a message to the whole world and change people's opinions of asylum seekers, refugees and displaced people. A message that says we are here, we are human and we have ambitions, fears, passions and dreams." (sportanddev.oirg, 08 Jun 2021)