The new European 10,000m champion, Dominique Robal of Switzerland, has been invited by the IOC to run as part of the Olympic Refugee Team at next month's Paris Games.
LAUSANNE, Switzerland — Dominique Robal, the new European 10,000 meters champion, received an invitation from the IOC on Thursday to compete at next month's Paris Games as part of the Olympic Refugee Team that was withdrawn in 2019.
If Robal chooses to rejoin the team, he could have a shot at winning its first Olympic medal after leaving the team five years ago in part over a dispute over prize money. The official refugee team began competing at the Rio 2016 Games.
Lobal, who won gold in the 10,000 metres in Rome late Wednesday and bronze in the 5,000 metres on Saturday, was given permission by IAAF a few weeks ago to compete for Switzerland despite not being a Swiss national.
“He is not currently a Swiss national as defined by the Olympic Charter,” the International Olympic Committee said in a statement on Thursday after its executive board failed to approve his eligibility six weeks before the opening ceremony in Paris.
Lobal, a refugee from South Sudan, has been living and training in Switzerland since leaving the Olympic program in a dispute over player control.
In a later interview with Time magazine for a story ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Roval said team administrators had limited their athletes' ability to win and keep prize money in road races.
The athlete said he turned down an offer to return to the program, which would have meant making his Olympic debut in Tokyo.
At the Tokyo Games that year, IOC officials acknowledged that criticism had prompted a review of the refugee athlete program.
The IOC on Thursday announced details of an invitation to add 36 athletes from 11 countries and 12 sports to the Refugee Olympic Team for the Paris Olympics, adding Robal to the already announced squad.
“He has received an offer to compete in Paris, which is entirely possible,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said. “Our rules are very clear: you must be the national of the country you're representing.”
Adams said Swiss Olympic team officials had told the IOC that “it is very difficult to obtain Swiss citizenship” and that there is a minimum 10-year residency requirement.
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