Hi to everyone and a very big thank you for all your support ! For your donations, for sharing on social networks, talking about it to your friends !

Thank you because without you, this project could not exist !

Today, I would like to introduce you to the two athletes who are going to participate to Athens tournament on the 2nd of December.

Ilias and Vanessa are both asylum seekers in Greece.

They arrived in Lesvos several months ago*.

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Ilias has proven himself during many championships already, and he owns the following titles (among others):

- Champion of contact karate (cat. men 85kg+) during the Euro-Asia Championships in 2012 in Antalya, Turkey;

- European Vice-champion of Kyokushinkai Karate (cat. men 85kg+) in 2014 in Istanbul, Turkey;

- International golden belt, received in Yozgat tournament of Kyokushinkai Karate in 2014, in Turkey;

He also won prices in boxing, judo and mixed martial arts.

He is 29 years old when he becomes the coach of the mixed martial arts Iranian team.

Today, he is ready to put all his energy to win this international tournament and to become World champion of Kyokushinkai karate under the status of asylum seeker in Greece.

Vanessa is a very strong and multi athlete as she practices the following disciplines : Muay Thai boxing, mixed martial arts, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, kyokushin karate and ashiharan kaikan.

She is looking forward to this competition as it will be her first international tournament. She is more motivated than ever as she confessed to me lately.

A last but not least confidence, Ilias and Vanessa are athletes but also husband and wife ! They are the proof that "couples who trains together, stay together".

* as their asylum requests are still reviewed by the Greek authorities, I do not want to share more details here that could eventually harm them.

Refugees champions in martial arts