Five young refugees from Afghanistan, Eritrea and Ethiopia, aged 12 to 21, were invited to share a typical Swiss (late) winter activity with some local athletes: cross-country skiing!

A very playful initiation to that sport was proposed by a former elite athlete and the young refugees could get a glimpse of the venue which will host cross-country competitions next January on the occasion of the 3rd Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne 2020. 

This activity followed an initial kick-off invitation to try out curling and it is the goal of the project leaders (a team of four sports fanatics from the Lausanne area) to continue to leverage on sport as a great tool to promote the social inclusion of young refugees in and around the Olympic Capital city. 

Judging by the smiles on the faces of all participants, it is very likely that this initiative will grow and take further advantage of the momentum generated by the Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Games.

Robiel, 17, from Eritrea, said after the ski session “Although I fell a lot, I really enjoyed that taste of a typical snow activity practiced by our hosts in Switzerland and I was lucky to share some unique moments with local youth of my age – I look forward to testing other sports available in the region”