Mahdi Khawari was one of the K1 coaches of the association Yoga and Sport with Refugees, which works on the island of Lesvos, in Greece.

Mahdi spent about two years in the refugee camps of Lesvos, where he joined the association for a year to share his knowledge in the practice of K1 with other residents.

He is now living in Berlin where he continues to box regularly.

Story:
“When I work out, I get rid of the negative energy. Afterwards, even if there is fighting, drinking, drugs, or noise at the camp when I’m trying to sleep, my body is so relaxed.
This is my family. People come together to keep up their motivation and energy.
My team stays in touch even though they’ve left the island. We follow each other on Instagram and send pictures on Whatsapp. Wherever they go, they send pictures and ask how things are at the camp. We talk about how nice it would be to practice together. We’re friends for life.”

Photo credits: Giacomo Sini