Saeid Fazloula (; born 9 August 1992) is an Iranian retired

canoeist Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. In some parts of Europe, canoeing refers to both canoeing and kayaking, with a canoe being called an 'open canoe' or Canadian. A few of the recreational forms ...

who now lives in Germany after fleeing Iran in 2015. He competed in the men's K-1 1000 metres event at the

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

and as well as at the

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

. Both times, he represented the IOC Refugee Olympic Team (ROT), being the first canoeist on the ROT. Previously, while representing Iran, he was a silver medalist at the

Asian Championships An Asian Championship is a top level international sports competition between Asian athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. List of championships (Summer Olympic Sports) ;Aquatics and wate ...

and the

2014 Asian Games The 2014 Asian Games (), officially known as the 17th Asian Games () and also known as Incheon 2014 (), were a pan-Asian multi-sport event held from 19 September to 4 October 2014 in Incheon, South Korea. On 17 April 2007, Incheon was awarded ...

Career

Fazloula won several silver medals at the

Asian Canoeing Championships The Asian Canoeing Championship is a Canoeing championship organised by the Asian Canoe Confederation for competitors from Asian countries. List tournaments Canoe Sprint Canoe Slalom Canoe Polo External linksOfficial ACC siteACCat Wix.com ...

while competing for Iran. In 2014, he won a silver medal at the

. In 2015, he took a photo in front of

Milan Cathedral Milan Cathedral ( ; ), or Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint Mary (), is the cathedral church of Milan, Lombardy, Italy. Dedicated to the Nativity of Mary, Nativity of St. Mary (), it is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdi ...

. When he returned home, he was detained, accused of having converted to Christianity, and threatened with the death penalty. Fazloula chose to flee Iran and made his way through the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

to Germany. Fazloula adjusted to life in Germany with the help of fellow canoeists, including his coach

Detlef Hofmann Detlef Hofmann (born 12 November 1963 in Karlsruhe) is a German sprint canoeist who competed from the late 1980s to the late 1990s. He won a gold medal in the K-4 1000 m event at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Hofmann won five m ...

. Due to his prior success while competing for Iran, his official situation was complicated, and his case caused the

International Canoe Federation The International Canoe Federation (ICF) is the umbrella organization of all national canoe organizations worldwide. It is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and administers all aspects of canoe sport worldwide. 157 countries are affiliated ...

to change their rules to account for athletes who were forced to leave their country. At the

2018 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships The 2018 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships, the 44th edition of the World Championships, were held in Montemor-o-Velho, Portugal, from 22 to 26 August 2018. Explanation of events Canoe sprint competitions were contested in either a Canadian ...

, he and Kostja Stroinski placed 8th in the men's K-2 500 metres. In June 2021, he was named to the Refugee Olympic Team. He competed in the men's K-1 1000 metres even at the

. There he advanced to the quarterfinals and placed fourth in his section with a time of 3:52.614. Speaking about his position on the Refugee Olympic Team, he said, "It's just sad that we are 120 million refugees around the world because of false polity, because of war, because of religions, skin color," but added that he was proud to represent refugees and show that "we are many athletes, we are many doctors, we are many architects". Fazloula also competed in the

, again as a member of the Refugee Olympic Team. He finished fourth in his quarterfinal of the men's K-1 1000 meters event. He announced that it was his last race and he was retiring from competition.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fazloula, Saeid 1992 births Living people Iranian male canoeists Refugee Olympic Team at the 2020 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Place of birth missing (living people) Asian Games silver medalists in canoeing Canoeists at the 2014 Asian Games Medalists at the 2014 Asian Games Asian Games silver medalists for Iran Sportspeople of Iranian descent Iranian refugees Refugee Olympic Team at the 2024 Summer Olympics Iranian emigrants to Germany Canoeists at the 2024 Summer Olympics 21st-century Iranian sportsmen