Hadi Tiranvalipour at the Olympics with the refugee team

There are sports stories that are worth a lot, especially on a human level. To have an example, just look at the video published in recent days on the channels of the Italian Taekwondo Federation, in which the athletes of our national team rejoice for the Iranian Hadi Tiranvalipour being called up to Paris 2024. IOC President Thomas Bach says his name and the Azzurri applaud, then Hadi arrives and everyone hugs him and congratulates him. It happened on May 2, when the International Olympic Committee made official the members of the Refugee Olympic Team invited to the Games.

This team is made up of athletes from all over the world who, unable to represent their country of birth, have been able to take part in the five-ring event under one flag since 2016: in Paris there will be 36 refugees, come from eleven countries, have been hosted by fifteen National Olympic Committees and will compete in twelve different sports. Among them is the taekwondoka Hadi Tiranvalipour, who he has lived in Rome since October 2022 and trains at the Giulio Onesti Olympic Preparation Center of CONI. In recent months his life has been turned upside down, but today he can recount with satisfaction the entire journey he took to reach his most coveted goal.

His love with taekwondo began after seeing him compete Hadi Saei, Iranian like him and with the same name. «He won two golds and a bronze at the Games and when I saw him I told my mother that I also wanted to do what he did. He inspired me, in fact when they asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up I replied that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.”

Today Hadi Tiranvalipour is 26 years old, but already in 2014 he joined the Iranian national team, with which he won gold at the Universiade and the Asian Championships, as well as taking part in several other international competitions. At the same time she studies and he graduated in Motor Sciences. He is an example from many points of view and television soon noticed this too, offering him a program to talk about correct lifestyles and to motivate people to do sport. «Meanwhile in Iran people were protesting against the government and against the condition of women in the country and I was with them: I spoke about it on TV and I was suspended. They told me I had no right to address topics like that because they didn't concern me and they no longer let me participate in the show. The other reason I left Iran was military service. In my country the military service is compulsory for two years, I had an exemption to study, but I had reached the point where I could no longer put it off. However, this meant stopping training and I wanted to follow my dreams and participate in the Olympic Games, so I thought that leaving, even if illegally, was the best solution.”

With these intentions Hadi Tiranvalipour enrolled at the University of Tor Vergata in Rome and obtained the residence permit in Italy for study purposes. «Obviously I didn't say a word about this to the Iranian government and I only said that I would go Türkiye because it is a destination permitted even without a visa. Then, from there, I took another flight to Italy and ran away. Some people told me to consider other countries because in Italy it was more difficult to find a house or a job, but I didn't want to listen to them: I fell in love with the culture, the people, the tourist attractions and, in general, I found a truly close to my way of being. Now I'm happy and I know I made the right choice for me.”

The arrival in Rome is not the easiest, because Hadi doesn't know anyone and has to rebuild his entire life. «I went through very difficult days, at the beginning I didn't have a home, then I found a place with ten other people from all over the world and I stayed there for a month, even though the conditions were complicated. Meanwhile I went to attend lectures at university. For the next three months I found accommodation in an apartment with other Iranians, but I slept on the sofa. In all this time I never gave up, I knew I had to be patient and that better days would come.”

Meanwhile, Tiranvalipour doesn't stop thinking about his sport, which has been and continues to be the driving force behind everything and for this reason he writes to the Italian Taekwondo Federation, but receives no response. He therefore decides to go in person to make his story known. «Eight months had passed since my arrival in Italy, I needed support because I didn't know how to continue my career as an athlete on my own. When I arrived at the federal headquarters I was immediately welcomed, I told who I was and the president Angelo Cito reassured me a lot. After a month he made me meet the minister of sport Andrea Abodi and they helped me obtain refugee status. The Italian Federation then sent the request to the IOC to include me in the refugee team and so they gave me a new life».

In the first months of 2024 Hadi participated in the Olympic qualifiers as a refugee, but without managing to gain the pass. «I was really angry. I gave up many things, I made many sacrifices and I had too great a chance, but I failed. I was disappointed because I thought my dream was gone. But then I received a call from the IOC and they told me that I had been chosen to join the Refugee Olympic Team. When I found out I started crying. I thought about all the training I did even at Christmas, on New Year's Eve, on weekends: I was always in the gym for my goal and I was rewarded for all that effort.”

Paris 2024 is a dream come true and for which Hadi Tiranvalipour feels he must also thank Italy, where he felt welcomed and where he settled in in the best possible way. «The Italian national team considered me one of their own from the first moment, we train together and support each other. My coach now is also Claudio Nolano, the same one who follows the Azzurri. For me it is incredible to have found all this support in the boys and in the Federation. Even in the worst moments I have always felt good in Italy and I hope to stay here in the future too. I want to continue studying and training and I'm also learning Italian, even if it's difficult!

Hadi Tiranvalipour

The only bitterness at this moment is due to missing family. «In Iran I left my parents, my brother and my sister, we have a very close relationship and it is hard for me to be away from them. I hope one day to be able to return to my country because I love it despite everything and I hope that the situation regarding women, freedom and life in general can improve. My family always watches me and they will do so in Paris too: if I am here and I have never given up it is because I want to make them happy with my results.”

Hadi Tiranvalipour will participate in the taekwondo competition -58 kg category, the same one he will see the reigning Olympic champion, the Italian Vito Dell'Aquila. «I respect him a lot, he is one of the best athletes in the world and with the gold in Tokyo 2020 he has become a legend. I learned a lot from him and I would like to get to play the final with him. I would like to show everyone how much the Italian people took care of me and be the voice of the one hundred million stateless people who exist in the world today. For me it is a mission to represent these people and demonstrate that you shouldn't give up on your dreams, whatever they may be. I would like to be a good example for them.”

Appointment on August 7th to find out if your dreams will have come true. Regardless of sporting results, however, his story will remain.