Lausanne, Switzerland, August 22, 2021: Athletes from 93 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) won medals at Tokyo 2020 – more than at any previous Olympic Games – with many of them supported by scholarships and grants provided by Olympic Solidarity.
Of the more than 11,000 athletes, 827 of them – 465 men and 362 women – were supported on their journey by Olympic Solidarity.
These Olympic scholarships contribute essential funding to cover an athlete’s training and competition expenses and are available to all NOCs, but in particular those with the greatest need.
For Tokyo 2020, Olympic Solidarity invested a total of USD 47 million in this programme to enable 1,836 athletes from 186 NOCs to train towards their dream of competing at the Olympic Games.
One such Olympic Solidarity recipient, weightlifter Polina Guryeva, won Turkmenistan’s first medal, a silver, at the Olympic Games.
Other highlights included weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz winning a first-ever Olympic gold medal for the Philippines and Saleh El Sharabaty (taekwondo) and Abdel Rahman Almasatfa (karate) winning the second and third Olympic medals in Jordan’s history.
During the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, Olympic Solidarity scholarship-holders have won 30 gold, 36 silver and 47 bronze medals, as well as 185 diplomas.
It’s not just individual athletes that Olympic Solidarity supports either. In Tokyo, 29 teams (15 men’s and 14 women’s) from 25 NOCs and competing in eight sports were supported on their journey to the Games with an Olympic Solidarity Team Support Grant.
This grant helped India’s men’s hockey team win the bronze medal – their first podium finish since their eighth and last gold medal at Moscow 1980.
“It’s a rebirth,” said goalkeeper Sreejesh. “It’s been 41 years. In 1980 we won the last medal and, after that, nothing. When we won the bronze medal, this gives a boost and gives energy to the youngsters to pick up hockey and play this beautiful game.”
