Welcome to the first-ever “Synod of Sport” in Rome where Olympians, Paralympians, and refugee athletes gathered to share their inspiring stories and experiences. Mahdia Sharifi, a taekwondo practitioner from Afghanistan, captured the essence of the event when she proclaimed, “Sport is a miracle; it saved my soul.”
Organized by Athletica Vaticana, the Synod of Sport was a unique opportunity for athletes from diverse backgrounds to come together and celebrate the power of sport in changing lives.
The evening kicked off with Rigivan Ganeshamoorthy, a Paralympic discus gold medallist, who shared how sport became a form of rebirth for him after being diagnosed with Guillain–Barré syndrome.
This sentiment of rebirth was echoed by Andy Diaz and Fabrizio Donato. Donato, an Olympic triple jump bronze medallist, took Diaz under his wing when Diaz arrived in Italy as a defector from Cuba. Diaz, who had been living on the streets, found a home and a coach in Donato, leading him to a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.
However, the most poignant testimony of the night came from Mahdia Sharifi, a member of the Olympic refugee team from Afghanistan. Sharifi shared her journey of taking up taekwondo at 11, despite societal challenges, and eventually finding herself on the national team. Forced to flee Afghanistan due to the Taliban takeover, Sharifi revealed the solace she found in taekwondo, declaring, “Sport is a miracle; it saved my soul.”
The Synod of Sport in Rome was a reminder of the transformative power of sports, where athletes from diverse backgrounds come together to inspire and uplift each other through their shared experiences.
