A FORMER Colchester student has spoken about working at this year’s Olympics as he heaped praise on boxer Lewis Richardson. Gonzalo Barrio, 36, lives in Switzerland and studied at the University of Essex between 2009 to 2012, earning a Bachelor of Economics during his time in the city. Mr Barrio originally planned to work in finance, but this all changed after he volunteered at the 2012 London Olympic Games as a team coordinator for the West African country of Benin.
He was inspired by the sense of pride and community the games instilled and decided to change career paths. Volunteering - a photo of Gonzalo Barrio and fellow volunteers at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Image: Gonzalo Barrio) After moving to Switzerland, in 2015, he joined the International Olympic Committee and from 2016 became the project manager of the Refugee Olympic Team. It’s a scholarship programme which helps displaced athletes from their home countries compete in the Olympic games.
Mr Barrio has managed all three IOC Refugee Olympic Teams, the first was in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the second in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and now the third in Paris. Mr Barrio was at the Paris Olympic Games for work, supporting stars like boxer Cindy Ngamba who made history by earning a bronze medal, a first for the refugee team. Cindy not only represented the refugee team but also Team GB Boxing.
At the Champion Park, where many athletes celebrated together, Mr Barrio bumped into Colchester boxer, Lewis Richar.