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The last time boxer Amir Khan made headlines in Greece, it was for becoming the youngest Brit to win an Olympic medal, at Athens in 2004. His current visit’s making waves as well, albeit in a different sea. The former two-time world champion has led a seven-van humanitarian convoy to the Greek island of Lesbos, which has been the port of entry for the vast majority of Syrian refugees fleeing to Europe from Turkey.
The champion pugilist’s own charity, the Amir Khan King Foundation has collaborated with Wakefield-based philanthropic organisation The Penny Appeal, in calling for aid for the thousands of refugees who have been forced to flee conflict-ridden Syria. An overwhelmingly positive response was seen, with donations of clothes, shoes, sleeping bags and cleanliness essentials received, filling six vans.
After setting off on the 3200-kilometer sojourn from Khan’s home town of Bolton, the convoy arrived in Athens on Sunday, September 20th. Khan and the other volunteers keep a watch out on the Mediterranean Sea for dinghies of refugees and welcome them, distributing food and water.
The twenty-eight-year-old boxing champion is also reaching out to the world via social media, posting videos of him and the rest of the volunteers handing out supplies, visiting a refugee camp and witnessing a boat overflowing with harrowed refugees arriving on the beach of Lesbos.
His campaign to Lesbos hit a major bump when they discovered that they had lost all their luggage after landing at Athens airport. But with the stoicism no doubt instilled by his craft and unexpected profundity, Khan sent out the following tweet:
Khan is seen telling the camera in another video, “One thing I can say is they are all smiling, all getting on with life but deep inside you can see they are upset.” The champion boxer with Pakistani roots said that he was galvanized into action by the heartrending images of three-year-old Syrian refugee Alan Kurdi, whose lifeless body washed up on the shores of the Greek Island of Kos. Kurdi and several others had drowned after the inflatable boat they were using to reach Kos capsized and it was discovered that the life vests they had on were ineffective.
