Ad of the Day: On’s moving short film captures an Olympian’s struggle and success
‘To Chase a Dream’ tells the story of Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu’s journey from orphaned refugee to Swiss citizen and Refugee Olympic Team runner.
Swiss sportswear brand On has turned to JM Harper and Hector Aponysus of Park Pictures to direct a new film that gets to grips with the struggle and successes of 5,000 and 10,000-meter specialist Dominic Lobalu’s career.
This is the second time On has focused on the athlete, with the new film following The Right to Race (2023), a 30-minute, critically acclaimed documentary.
‘To Chase a Dream’ picks up his story as he trains in Switzerland and finds support from his trainer and the Swiss public.
Explore frequently asked questions
Lobalu has sought asylum in Switzerland, which made him a stateless athlete who can neither compete for the Olympic Refugee nor the Swiss Olympic team. As he strives to reconcile this, he represents Switzerland at the European Athletics Championships in Rome and wins.
Well put together, unofficial Olympics ads are inescapable this week (see Apple and Greenpeace) and there are only so many times we can make that point. What makes this film remarkable is that On is really going for the soft sell here. You barely notice the brand, just an utterly compelling story.
Advertisement
Tomorrow, Lobalu will compete in the 5,000-meter final at the Olympics having tripped, fallen and still qualified in the heats.