Sport

My aspiration has always been to fully embrace life's offerings. Success isn't about the endpoint; it's about the journey – the growth from where I began and the rich stories gathered along the way.

British Paralympic sprinter and long jumper; multiple Paralympic medals

MMA serves as my ministry. As a Christian, I want to convey unconditional love to everyone. The real value lies not in winning titles but in the ability to positively impact the lives of my teammates, trainers, friends, family, and future generations.

The objective isn't to become the world number one; it's about consistently reaching your best or performing adequately in moments that matter to you.

My approach is always to redirect their focus from this nebulous concept of confidence to the concrete tasks at hand. These are tasks they have successfully completed numerous times. Whether they feel confident or not is irrelevant; the real key is maintaining focus in the moment.

For me, sports were a sanctuary, the only place where I felt at home, could connect with others, and navigate my life and pain. Many NGOs already focus on essential aid and medical needs, so our foundation aims to complement these efforts by introducing sports.

Syrian Swimmer & Refugee Advocate Who Competed in Olympics

Upon arriving in Germany, swimming became my sanctuary during a time when I had no other home. Being new to the country and unfamiliar with its swimming culture, the sport offered me solace and a sense of belonging. It provided a common language that allowed me to connect with others effortlessly, facilitating a smoother integration into German society.

Syrian Swimmer & Refugee Advocate Who Competed in Olympics

This stubbornness was further highlighted during a significant hiatus from swimming at 15, amidst the turmoil of war. My father had left the country, leaving me to navigate adolescence in rebellion, seeking normalcy in defiance. That year was transformative—cutting my hair, getting a piercing, and quitting swimming symbolised a personal revolution, leading me to realize my participation in the sport was for my own sake, not merely to fulfil my father's expectations.

Syrian Swimmer & Refugee Advocate Who Competed in Olympics

Sports are the most valuable content and intellectual property in the world. MMA is the fastest growing sport and has the best business model in sports.

With 650 million global fans, MMA has the third biggest worldwide fanbase (after soccer and basketball). However, those MMA fans are very under-served and very under-monetized.

For many years, motorsport resembled a pyramid—a well-established, widely recognized structure with Formula 1 at its pinnacle. When Formula E emerged, it occupied a completely different position. It remains somewhat set apart, and only in recent years has it begun to be recognized as established motorsport by the broader community.

We compete not to just make up the numbers, but to do it right, with a full programme to achieve success on the track and meet all our other measures of success, too.

If we want to build or maintain function, we need to apply a stimulus. And then, as much as we can, we need to provide the environment that allows us to best adapt to that stimulus.