Adnan Khankan - refugee hoping to break stereotypes at Paris Olympics

Judoka, who fled Syria in 2015, wants to 'enjoy every second' being part of Refugee Olympic Team and has already set sights on 2028 LA Games

Adnan Khankan will be competing at the Paris Olympics as part of the Refugee Team. Photo: IJF

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Martial arts is one of the most difficult sports to follow as it involves exceptional physical fitness and high degree of mental discipline.

Physical and mental fortitude are qualities that are instilled in Adnan Khankan who will be competing as part of the Refugee Olympic Team at the Paris Games which begin in a week's time.

The judoka will be representing the dreams of millions of refugees impacted by war and unrest. Khankan, 30, saw his life turned upside down when he was forced to flee war-torn Syria in 2015.

As civil unrest spread across Damascus, Khankan made the decision to leave behind his loved ones at the age of 21, beginning a month-long journey towards Europe, travelling by foot and any transportation he could find.

He landed in Germany and started a new life from scratch.

“I always tried not to leave my country because it’s a very difficult situation, you lose your family, your dream,” Khankan told Olympics.com.

“During this time, I had no idea what might happen but luckily we arrived in Germany in October.

“I said: ‘Okay, my journey is over. I’m in a safe place. But what am I doing here now?’ - that was even worse than the journey.”

He had almost nothing to fall back upon, except judo. It was a sport he had adored since childhood after his father introduced him to it.

“Judo is a very special sport that comes from Japan and has a lot of values in it,” he said.

“I must always have respect, be courageous and self-confident – I’ve always liked things like that.

“I always noticed [I was] different to others at a young age, I have discipline and I always have a goal to achieve, to think about what the future holds.”

And as fate would have it, judo is what provided him a way out in his new life as a refugee in Germany when he watched the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics in 2016.

“I knew people who were on the Olympic Refugee Team back then. I met them and I know them,” he said.

“They were in our sports centre. I cried - you can ask my wife - I cried non-stop because, without this situation [fleeing war], I would probably have had the chance to be in Rio.”

Thereafter, Khankan decided to chart his way forward in judo. He restarted his training and was awarded an IOC Refugee Athlete Scholarship in 2022. Soon, he was selected for the IOC Refugee Olympic Team for Paris.

Khankan has another source of inspiration fueling his dream - boxing legend Muhammad Ali, who defied orders to join the military by the US government.

“He was someone who stood up and said ‘no.’ To have that sort of strength was something that inspired me,” Khankan told CNN.

The judoka knows that competing at the Paris Games is a matter of great pride, but that is not the end of the road for him.

“Depending on my result, I would like to train a little harder until Los Angeles 2028 and continue to train hard, take part again and get better results.

“I want to enjoy every second of it because after my situation, my journey, everything I have suffered in my life… I am a winner right now."

And above all, he wants to help remove the stigma that has been attached to refugees across Europe, especially this year.

“I would like to - in Germany or Europe in general - change the refugee stereotype,” he said.

“Through sport and judo, I want to help people who have problems here, for example, someone like me or others who are on the street or seeking asylum. There is always a way to help.”