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EGYPT / SYRIAN WRESTLING REFUGEES
STORY: EGYPT / SYRIAN WRESTLING REFUGEES
TRT: 03:59
LANGUAGE: ARABIC / NATS
SOURCE: UNHCR
RESTRICTION: PLEASE CREDIT UNHCR ON SCREEN
DATELINE: 14 NOVEMBER, 16 NOVEMBER 2017, ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT
1. Various shots, Amir Awwad and his 2 kids looking at old photographs of Amir during championships as well as trophies and medals
2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Amir Awad, Syrian wrestling champion:
‘’I am Captain Amir Al Awad, from the Syrian National Team for wrestling.”
3. Various shots, Amir Awwad and his 2 kids looking at old photographs of Amir during championships as well as trophies and medals
4. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Amir Awad, Syrian wrestling champion:
“I am the champion of the Asian, Arab and Syrian wrestling championships.’’
5. Timelapse, Alexandria corniche at night
6. Various shots, Amir during his night-shift working at the restaurant at night in Alexandria
7. Wide shot, Amir and his trainees, heading to the Syrian Sports Academy
8. Various shots, Amir and his trainees at the academy warming up, stretching and doing few wrestling moves
9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Amir Awad, Syrian wrestling champion:
‘’What UNHCR did with us was instead of giving us a fish every day, it taught us how to hunt.”
10. Various shots, Amir and his trainee Adel Bizmawi doing some wrestling moves
11. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Amir Awad, Syrian wrestling champion:
‘’In this Syrian Sport Academy, we hold daily trainings for martial art, from wrestling, kickboxing, Taekedo, karate, and gymnastics.’’
12. Various shots, Amir and his trainee Adel Bizmawi doing some wrestling moves
13. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Adel Mohammad Bizmawi, Amir’s trainee:
‘’This academy means everything to me. This is where I started from and it is here where we will train to qualify for various championships.’’
14. Various shots, Amir and his trainee Adel Bizmawi doing some wrestling moves
15. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Amir Awad, Syrian wrestling champion:
“My idea was to go to Europe. I wanted to get there and apply for family reunification and bring by family, but I found myself weak in front of my family.”
16. Various shots, Amir with his wife and kids sitting at home chatting and laughing
17. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Enas Al Shafie, Amir’s wife:
‘’I’ve always supported him in his project and I will always do, especially if he has a chance to participate in the Olympics.’’
18. Various shots, Amir with his family playing and chatting on the couch
19. UPSOUND (Arabic) Amir Awad, Syrian wrestling champion:
‘’What I have to do now, as a champion, is to create another champion.”
20. Various shots, Amir training on the boxing bag
Supported by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), the Syrian Sports Academy holds classes for over 20 Syrian to combat illegal immigration and build a new generation of Syrian refugee sports players in Egypt.
UPSOUND: Children counting.
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Amir Awad, Syrian wrestling champion:
‘’I am Captain Amir Al Awad, from the Syrian National Team for wrestling. I am the champion of the Asian, Arab and Syrian wrestling championships.’’
Amir was 11 when he won his first wrestling match.
He is an 18-time national champion.
Amir was forced to flee the war in Syria few years ago.
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Amir Awad, Syrian wrestling champion:
“The future was blocked, so we decided to come to Egypt.’’
Working at a restaurant, he met other Syrian refugees.
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Amir Awad, Syrian wrestling champion:
‘’The guys working there were all into sport, so we thought why not start our own sport initiative?"
He went to UNHCR to ask for support. The agency bought him equipment and gave him a bit of promotion.
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Amir Awad, Syrian wrestling champion:
‘’What UNHCR did with us was instead of giving us a fish every day, it taught us how to hunt."
And so the Syrian Sports Academy was born.
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Amir Awad, Syrian wrestling champion:
‘’In this Syrian Sport Academy, we hold daily trainings for martial arts, from wrestling, kickboxing, Taekedo, karate, gymnastics, Zomba and Aerobics for ladies.’’
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Adel Mohammad Bizmawi, Amir’s trainee:
‘’This academy means everything to me. This is where I started from and it is here where we will train to qualify for various championships.’’
A father of two young children, Amir chose his path carefully.
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Amir Awad, Syrian wrestling champion:
“My idea was to go to Europe. I wanted to get there and apply for family reunification and bring by family, but I found myself weak in front of my family.”
UPSOUND: Amir looking at his championship newspaper pictures with his children at home.
Amir’s wife is a former ballerina. She runs a woman’s Zumba classes at the academy.
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Enas Al Shafie, Amir’s wife:
‘’I’ve always supported him in his project and I will always do, especially if he has a chance to participate in the Olympics.’’
But even if he doesn’t, Amir says he wants to train future champions.
UPSOUND (Arabic) Amir Awad, Syrian wrestling champion:
‘’What I have to do now, as a champion, is to create another champion.”
Amir Awad is a wrestling champion from Syria. He won his first tournament at the age of 11 and was Syria’s national wrestling champion for 18 times.
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