AL OBAIDI Aker

General
FROM IRAQ TO AUSTRIA
He grew up in Mosul, Iraq, but fled Mosul as a teenager when militant group the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria [ISIS] started recruiting young men in the city. He initially went to Iraqi Kurdistan, then parted ways with his family as he travelled on to Europe. He was granted asylum in Austria and after receiving subsidiary protection in 2016, he competed alongside Austrian wrestlers at a junior international event in Riga, Latvia, winning a gold medal. "I didn't want to leave [Iraq], but I had to, it was a very scary experience. I separated from my family, I was afraid of whether they would survive the war. The whole situation was very hard psychologically, and I've had to deal with doctors because of what happened to me. We couldn't leave [Austria] and were eventually granted asylum. It wasn't a plan to come to Austria. I'd never heard of it. It is just where I ended up. I love Austria, it's a very nice country, the food is great and I love the mountains, I feel at home. Being involved in the sport and being an athlete has helped me establish myself." (olympics.com, 22 Jun 2020; excelsior.com.mx, 20 Jun 2021; kleinezeitung.at, 08 Jun 2021)

COACHING
He has coached children in wrestling in Inzing, Austria. (stillmed.olympics.com, 08 Jun 2021)