Today, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) revealed the athletes who will represent the Refugee Olympic Team at this year's Games.
A cohort of 36 elite athletes, who are also refugees, will head to the Olympic Games in Paris later this year, competing for gold across 12 sports.
Among them are five athletes being hosted by the United Kingdom National Olympic Committee, who will compete in swimming, badminton, boxing, taekwondo and weightlifting.
With more than 100 million people currently displaced around our world, the Refugee Olympic Team represents an important symbol of hope for those uprooted by conflict.
First introduced at the 2016 Olympics, this will be the third time that a Refugee Olympic Team attends the games. This year is also the biggest cohort that is heading to the Olympics, suggesting that our planet’s refugee crisis is, unfortunately, growing.
“You will make billions of people around the world aware of the magnitude of the refugee crisis,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “Therefore, I encourage everyone, around the world, to join us in cheering for you – the IOC Refugee Olympic Team.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the Refugee Olympic Team and the vital role they play in representing refugees in sports.
What is the Refugee Olympic Team?
The Refugee Olympic Team is a multi-national team of athletes who are also refugees.
The team allows people who have fled their homes to still compete in the Olympic Games.
Rather than competing for a country, they compete under the flag of the Refugee Olympic Team and represent millions of people displaced from their homes worldwide.
In previous years, the Refugee Olympic Team has featured some prominent sporting figures, including the Syrian swimmer Yusra Mardini, who later had a film made about her life called The Swimmers.
The announcement of this year’s team comes as countless conflicts continue to create refugees around our world.
The Refugee Olympic Team is part of a wider initiative by the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) that helps fund scholarships for athletes who are refugees. Over the years, the foundation has supported elite athletes while also unlocking access to sports for displaced people worldwide.
Who has made the 2024 Refugee Olympic Team?
There are 36 athletes from 11 countries that will form this year’s Refugee Olympic Team.
The athletes originally come from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Congo, Cuba, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iran, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Venezuela.
They are backed by various National Olympic Committees (NOCs) that host the athletes, allowing them to compete in the games.
Great Britain is hosting five athletes this year, including Iranian swimmer Matin Balsini, Afghan taekwondo athlete Farzad Mansouri, Cameroonian boxing champion Cindy Ngamba, Cuban weightlifter Ramiro Mora Romero, and Iranian badminton athlete Dorsa Yavarivafa.
Having sought refuge in the UK, these athletes call the country their home. Some hope to represent the UK at the Olympics in the future.
As the UK continues to debate sending asylum seekers to Rwanda, the refugee stories among this year’s team serve as a crucial reminder of the safety and potential that nations can offer —when they welcome and support people fleeing crisis.
Alongside the five stars hosted by the UK, the remaining 31 athletes are:
• Farida Abaroge, athletics (1500m)
• Omid Ahmadisafa, boxing (-51kg)
• Yahya Al Ghotany, taekwondo (-68kg)
• Mohammad Amin Alsalami, athletics (long jump)
• Amir Ansari, cycling (time trial)
• Sibghatullah Arab, judo (mixed team & -81kg)
• Mahboubeh Barbari Zharfi, judo (mixed team & +78kg)
• Edilio Francisco Centeno Nieves, shooting (10m air pistol)
• Muna Dahouk, judo (mixed team & -57kg)
• Jamal Abdelmaji Eisa Mohammed, athletics (10,000m)
• Saeid Fazloula, canoe (K-1 1,000m)
• Tachlowini Gabriyesos, athletics (marathon)
• Eyeru Gebru, cycling (road race)
• Yekta Jamali Galeh, weightlifting (-81kg)
• Fernando Dayan Jorge Enriquez, canoe (C-1 1,000m)
• Dorian Keletela, athletics (100m)
• Adnan Khankan, judo (mixed team & -100kg)
• Perina Lokure, athletics (800m)
• Iman Mahdavi, wrestling (freestyle -74kg)
• Alaa Maso, swimming (50m freestyle)
• Kasra Mehdipournejad, taekwondo (+80kg)
• Dina Pouryounes Langeroudi, taekwondo (-49kg)
• Mohammad Rashnonezhad, judo (mixed team & -60kg)
• Amir Rezanejad, canoe (canoe slalom)
• Nigara Shaheen, judo (mixed team & -63kg)
• Luna Solomon, shooting (10m air rifle)
• Saman Soltani, canoe (K-1 500m)
• Musa Suliman, athletics (800m)
• Manizha Talash, breaking (Bgirl)
• Hadi Tiranvalipour, taekwondo (-58kg)
• Jamal Valizadeh, wrestling (Greco-Roman -60kg)
