IOC announces emergency fund for refugees

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced a $2 million dollar fund that will be made available to National Olympic Committees for programmes focused on refugees.

"We have all been touched by the terrible news and the heartbreaking stories in the past few days. With this terrible crisis unfolding across the Middle East, Africa and Europe, sport and the Olympic Movement wanted to play its part in bringing humanitarian help to the refugees," Xinhua quoted the IOC President Thomas Bach as saying through its official website.

"We made a quick decision that we needed to take action and to make this fund available immediately," he said.

"We have a long term relationship with the UN and we draw on their help and expertise. We know through experience that sport can ease the plight of refugees. Our thoughts are with the many refugees risking their lives and the lives of their families to escape danger."

NOCs and other interested parties will be asked to submit projects to the IOC for funding.

The fund itself is made up of one million dollars from the IOC and a further one million from Olympic Solidarity.