An Olympic Day of Excellence was held at Bialik Keshet School in southern Tel Aviv – a unique event led by the Olympic Committee of Israel, in collaboration with the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The event, during which students met athletes from a variety of Olympic sports, was designed to introduce children to the Olympic spirit, connect them to the values of excellence, solidarity, and mutual respect, and allow them to meet inspiring role models up close – including those who came from similar life circumstances.
The day began with an inspiring talk by Olympic marathoner Tahlawini (Louis) Melka – a member of the International Olympic Committee’s Refugee Olympic Team – an initiative that provides refugee athletes who cannot represent their country with the opportunity to participate in the Olympic Games as part of the World Refugee Team.
Louis, an outstanding Olympic marathon runner, participated in two Olympic Games. In Tokyo 2020, he finished in 16th place, which is an outstanding achievement on an international scale.
He was born in Eritrea, fled at the age of 12, and arrived in Israel alone after a grueling and dangerous journey through Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt. Although he has lived in the country for over a decade, he is still seeking asylum. Since he does not hold Israeli citizenship, he is prevented from representing Israel, but the Olympic Committee of Israel and the Athletics Association consider him an integral part of the Israeli Olympic athletes’ family.
The students of the school looked up to him with pride and saw him as a role model, an admired figure from among them, who aspired to and achieved extraordinary accomplishments.
The school’s peak day included experiential activities in a variety of sports: fencing, athletics, judo, skateboarding, taekwondo, cricket, and acrobatics. Led by a talented team of athletes and coaches, including Olympic athletes Yuval Freilich and Itay Magidi, the children were inspired and received personal examples alongside learning about the power of perseverance, determination, and hope – important messages for the children of the refugee community who are often invisible for most of the year.
