From the Azraq camp to Rome: seven Syrian girls at the Kim and Liù taekwondo tournament
The athletes left the Jordanian refugee camp for the first time to compete in the Kim and Liù tournament and take on opponents from across Europe
Key points
- The initiative
- The Humanitarian Centre
Italian taekwondo is renewing its humanitarian commitment to those fleeing war and persecution. The Italian Taekwondo Federation (FITA) has long been involved in initiatives supporting people living in extremely difficult circumstances, but this year it is taking a further step forward: at the Kim and Liù tournament – the competition for young people aged between 6 and 11, which will take place alongside the 2026 World Taekwondo Rome Grand Prix – seven Syrian girls from the Azraq refugee camp will take part, in Jordan. The athletes were received by Pope Leo XIV and took part in the press conference to present the event, which was held on 3 June at the Ara Pacis Museum.
The initiative
The girls have left the Azraq training camp for the first time in their lives and will be competing at the Foro Italico between 5 and 7 June. They will have the opportunity to compete against athletes from all over Europe, leaving the facility that has been their home since birth or early childhood and showcasing their talent at the very same time as world champions are competing for the Grand Prix title and points towards the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The Syrian female athletes are part of the Taekwondo Humanitarian Centre project at the Azraq camp, run by the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) with the support of World Taekwondo. The camp they come from was opened by the UN Refugee Agency in April 2014 and is home to around 60,000 people. The facility – established to accommodate those fleeing the Syrian civil war – is located in northern Jordan, in a desert area some 60 kilometres from the better-known Za’atari camp.
The Olympic values
Angelo Cito, president of FITA and founder of THF Italia, stated that ‘international cooperation is a cornerstone of the Italian Taekwondo Federation. Our doors are open to all athletes fleeing war zones. These are the kinds of actions a federation can take, and they are worth more than a million words: they are deeds.” According to Cito, in fact, “the decision to bring THF to Italia stemmed from a desire to put taekwondo at the service of people, and above all children, in need. Taekwondo is a universal discipline for everyone”.
The Federation’s president went on to emphasise that the initiative that brought the Syrian girls to Rome ‘is a wonderful thing from the point of view of sporting values. Today, Olympic values must not be preached, but practised’, adding that ‘as a humanitarian foundation, our mission is to support children in refugee camps around the world. These girls will be here for a week and will know that there are people who want to help them, that they are not alone. This is the message: people in need must not feel alone’.
