The current weightlifting champion for England lives in Bristol and hopes to fulfil his ambition of competing in the Olympic Games in 2024, but his status in the UK remains uncertain. Ramiro Mora Romero, who is 25-years-old, came to the UK in 2019 as part of a circus group.
Being part of the circus gave Ramiro the opportunity to travel to the UK but weightlifting is his real passion and before moving to England, he had competed in the sport in Cuba. Despite Ramiro currently holding the English weightlifting title for his category he is not able to register for the Olympic Games, or receive sponsorship, due to his asylum seeker status.
Ramiro is currently not allowed to work, and like other asylum seekers awaiting a decision from the Home Office on their right to remain in the UK, he has no recourse to public funds and has to live off £40 a week to cover food and any other expenses. He currently lives in a house share in the centre of Bristol and was sent to the city by the Home Office after living for a period in a hotel, and the Napier Barracks in Folkestone, where he stayed for just over two months.
