Largest-Ever Refugee Olympic Team Announced for Paris 2024

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has unveiled the IOC Refugee Olympic Team for the 2024 Paris Olympics, featuring a record 36 athletes from 11 countries who will compete in 12 sports. The team, selected from over 70 scholarships, represents the world's displaced population of more than 100 million people. This marks the third time the IOC Refugee Olympic Team will participate in the Olympic Games, following appearances at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

The participation of the Refugee Olympic Team in the Paris 2024 Olympics serves as a powerful symbol of hope and resilience for the over 100 million people forcibly displaced worldwide, highlighting the importance of addressing global displacement and promoting unity through sports. The participation of the Refugee Olympic Team in the Paris 2024 Olympics serves as a powerful symbol of hope and resilience for the over 100 million people forcibly displaced worldwide, highlighting the importance of addressing global displacement and promoting unity through sports. This initiative also emphasizes the IOC's commitment to supporting refugees and displaced populations, setting a precedent for other international organizations to follow.

IOC President Thomas Bach welcomed the athletes with open arms, stating, "You are an enrichment to our Olympic Community, and to our societies. With your participation in the Olympic Games, you will demonstrate the human potential of resilience and excellence. This will send a message of hope to the more than 100 million displaced people around the world." The team, consisting of 23 men and 13 women from Africa, the Americas, and Asia, was selected based on criteria including sporting performance, refugee status verified by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, and a balanced representation of sport and gender.

Why this matters: The majority of the athletes were chosen from the IOC's Refugee Athletes Scholarship Programme, funded by the Olympic Solidarity programme and managed by the Olympic Refuge Foundation. The Refugee Olympic Team will compete under its own unique team emblem, featuring a heart at its center, symbolizing the belonging and sense of community that athletes and displaced people have found through sport.

Chef de mission Masomah Ali Zada, who competed in women's cycling at the Tokyo Games, expressed her enthusiasm, saying, "Having our own emblem creates a sense of belonging, and empowers us to also stand for the population of more than 100 million people who share this same experience. I cannot wait to wear it proudly!"Theteamwill compete under the acronym EOR (équipe olympique des réfugiés) in 12 sports: aquatics, athletics, badminton, boxing, breaking, canoe, cycling, judo, shooting, taekwondo, weightlifting, and wrestling.

Notable athletes include Nigara Shaheen, a 30-year-old judo athlete from Afghanistan who competed in Tokyo, and Kasra Mehdipournejad, an Iranian taekwondo athlete living in Germany. The IOC has made supporting refugees and displaced populations a key priority as part of Recommendation 11 of Olympic Agenda 2020. The Olympic Refuge Foundation, established in 2017, builds on this commitment by providing access to safe sport for people affected by displacement worldwide.

Since its inception, the foundation has enabled almost 400,000 young people to access safe sport, with over 1,600 coaches trained in delivering safe sport sessions across 11 countries on five continents. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi emphasized the significance of the Refugee Olympic Team, stating, "The Refugee Olympic Team should remind us of the resilience, courage, and hopes of all those uprooted by war and persecution. These athletes represent what human beings can do even in the face of extreme adversity."

The announcement of the Refugee Olympic Team for Paris 2024 comes at a time when global displacement has reached record levels. With over 100 million people forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of conflict, persecution, and human rights violations, the participation in the Olympic Games serves as a powerful symbol of hope and resilience. The Paris Olympics on July 26, 2024, are imminent, and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team stands ready to inspire and unite people across the globe, reminding us of the indomitable human spirit in the face of adversity.

Key Takeaways

• IOC Refugee Olympic Team for Paris 2024 features 36 athletes from 11 countries.
• Athletes will compete in 12 sports, including aquatics, athletics, and judo.
• Team represents over 100 million people forcibly displaced worldwide.
• Selection based on sporting performance, refugee status, and balanced representation.
• Team will compete under unique emblem featuring a heart, symbolizing belonging and community.