With less than two months remaining until the commencement of the games in Paris, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) revealed its most extensive refugee team ever on Thursday.
Meet the IOC @RefugeesOlympic Team @Paris2024!
It brought immense joy to the 36 athletes representing 11 diverse nations, who will participate in 12 sports disciplines during the games.
These sports include athletics, badminton, boxing, canoeing, cycling, judo, breaking, shooting, swimming, taekwondo, weightlifting, and wrestling.
The team, marking the third participation in the Summer Olympics, comprises athletes hailing from various nations, including several African countries, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Venezuela, and Cuba.
IOC President Thomas Bach emphasized, “Beyond their athletic achievements, it’s the emotional significance—sending a beacon of hope to the over 100 million individuals who, regrettably, had to migrate.” He expressed his aspiration that their presence in the games would draw global attention to the scale of this crisis.
The IOC stated that all 36 athletes hold refugee status in their host countries, and their selection was determined by multiple factors, including athletic achievements, countries of origin, and a diversity of sports and genders.
Comprising 23 men and 13 women, the team originates from countries across three continents: Africa, the Americas, and Asia.
It encompasses debut Olympians, individuals from the former Refugee Olympic Team Tokyo 2020, and athletes who represented their native countries before seeking refuge.
In Paris, the IOC Refugee Olympic Team will compete under its unique emblem, which prominently features a heart at its core, rather than participating under the Olympic flag.
It will be recognized by the acronym EOR, derived from the French name “Equipe Olympique des Refugies”.
The IOC established the refugee team for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, enabling athletes to continue competing despite being displaced from their home countries.
In Rio, there were 10 athletes, while three years ago in Tokyo, the team expanded to 29 athletes across 12 sports.