@erilibrary: In 1993 Norwegian Olympian Johann Olav Koss visited war-torn Eritrea before the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics. Witnessing children playing amidst the aftermath of war, he realised their desire for the opportunity to play, despite the trauma they had experienced. This encounter inspired Johann to shape the future of Right To Play, an organisation dedicated to providing children with the chance to play and experience joy, regardless of their circumstances. Koss, promised to return five months later, after the 1994 Winter Olympics. When Koss did return, he marked himself as an Olympic medalist. Upon his return, Koss was criticised by the Norwegian press for bringing football equipments to Eritrea, a country in need of basic necessities. However, Eritrean president Isaias Afwerki thanked him: “This is the greatest gift we have ever received. For the first time, we are being treated like human beings — not just something to be kept alive. For the first time, my children can play like any child.” The mission Koss said, "…is to use the idea of sport and of play to help children in areas where they've known only violence and war to develop into healthy, happy people.” After the '94 Olympics, Koss donated his gold-medal bonus money to the movement, and returned to Eritrea to present both money and sports equipment he had collected from the children of Norway. #norway #olympics #sport #sports #sportstiktok #asmara #eritreantiktok #africa #african #freedom #free #hero #history #history #eritreantiktok🇪🇷🇪🇷habesha #africantiktok #eritrean #storytime #learning #historia #fact #LearnOnTikTok #vintage #storytime #story #vintage #lesson #Eritrea #Hero #Eritrean #History #tiktok 6d

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Sunday 07 July 2024 20:44:01 GMT