Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, July 22, 2020: The National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan has asked fans to continue supporting Paralympian Aliya Raeva who has been shortlisted for the Hermann Gmeiner Award 2020.
Raeva, 29, is among four women in the running to win the award. In total there were 200 nominees, men and women, for this prize awarded to those who grew up in a family SOS orphanage founded by Austrian teacher Hermann Gmeiner.
“Aliya Raeva’s experience is a real example of perseverance and a sign that will and determination can overcome any difficulties,” said Kazakhstan NOC President Timur Kulibayev, who urged fans to support the 100m and 200m athlete by voting for her.
Raeva was born with cerebral palsy. Her biological mother abandoned her a few days after her birth. She spent her early years in a state orphanage and, in 1996 at the age of five, moved to the SOS Children’s Village in Almaty.
As a child she underwent three operations on her legs and, after a long rehabilitation process, Raeva stepped forward and began to achieve success in sport and went on to become a Paralympian. She is now targeting the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
“The daily struggle that I went through as a child did not break me. I decided to encourage people like me not to give in to hardship and to lead them to victory. Life has shown me that in difficult times there are always the right people,” Raeva said.
Kazakhs have actively voted for Raeva and she currently stands in second place among the four women finalists – the others are from Croatia, Kenya and Bulgaria. Voting ends on Thursday, July 23.