The 2024 Summer Olympic Games are on! Everybody celebrates their favorite countries and teams, but we would like to talk about one specific team... The Refugee Olympic Team. Let’s dive in and learn about them!
In 2015, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) created the Refugee Olympic Team just in time for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. The IOC Refugee Olympic Team represents more than 100 million forcibly displaced people worldwide. The goal of the Refugee Olympic Team when it was formed in 2015 was to send a powerful message of hope, belonging, and inclusion around the world.
This year in Paris, The Refugee Olympic Team is made up of 37 athletes from 11 different countries and are participating in 12 different sports. Here is this year’s team listed below:
Adnan Khankan - Judo
Alaa Maso - Swimming
Amir Ansari - Cycling Road
Amir Razanejad Hassanjani - Canoe Slalom
Arab Sibghatullah - Judo
Cindy Ngamba - Boxing
Dina Pouryounes Langeroudi - Taekwondo
Dorian Keletela - Athletics
Dorsa Yavarivafa - Badminton
Eyeru Gebru - Cycling Road
Farida Abaroge - Athletics
Farzad Mansouri - Taekwondo
Fernando Dayan Jorge Enriquez - Canoe Sprint
Francisco Edilio Centeno Nieves - Shooting
Hadi Tiranvalipour - Taekwondo
Iman Mahdavi - Wrestling
Jamal Abdelmaji - Athletics
Jamal Valizadeh - Wrestling Greco-Roman
Kasra Mehdipournejad - Taekwondo
Luna Solomon - Shooting
Mahboubeh Barbari Yharfi - Judo
Manizha Talash - Breaking
Matin Balsini - Swimming
Mohammad Amin Alsalami - Athletics
Mohammad Rashnonezhad - Judo
Muna Dahouk - Judo
Musa Suliman - Athletics
Nigara Shaheen - Judo
Omid Ahmadisafa - Boxing
Perina Lokure Nakang - Athletics
Ramiro Mora - Weightlifting
Saeid Fazloula - Canoe Sprint
Saman Soltani - Canoe Sprint
Tachlowini Gabriyesos - Athletics
Yahya Al Ghotany - Taekwondo
Yekta Jamali Galeh - Weightlifting
In order for these athletes to be eligible for the Olympics, they must be refugees in their host country as well as be elite competitors in their sport. These players must also be recognized by the UNCHR and the UN Refugee Agency.
If you would like to learn more about each individual athlete, use this link to visit the Olympic Refugee Team page on the official Olympics website! https://olympics.com/en/olympic-refuge-foundation/refugee-team