Dorsa Yavarivafa (; born 31 July 2003) is an Iranian badminton player who competed for the

Refugee Olympic Team The Refugee Olympic Team is a group made up of independent Olympic participants who are refugees. In March 2016, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach announced the creation of the Refugee Olympic Athletes Team, as a s ...

at the

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 2024), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la XXXIIIe Olympiade, links=no) and also known as Paris 2024, is an upcoming international multi-sport event that is s ...

Biography

Introduced to badminton by her father when she was nine years old, Yavarivafa left Iran aged 15 along with her mother. Using fake German passports, they fled the country in November 2018 because her mother wanted to change her religion and Yavarivafa had repeatedly been rejected by the national badminton team without being told why. Her father, who sells car parts, stayed in Iran in case his wife and daughter needed to go back. Starting in Turkey then moving on to Germany, Belgium and France, Yavarivafa and her mother eventually arrived in England at the end of 2019. Having been given permission to stay in the country, she initially lived in Birmingham before moving to London. There she was introduced to former badminton player now Athletes’ Department Director at the International Olympic Committee (IOC),

Kaveh Mehrabi Kaveh Mehrabi ( fa, کاوه مهرابی; born 5 May 1982) is a former professional Iranian badminton player. Career Mehrabi was born in Tehran, Iran, and on April 10, 2003 he moved to Copenhagen, Denmark to become the first Iranian professional ...

, who suggested she could become part of the

. In June 2023, she was awarded an IOC Refugee Scholarship. The funding helped Yavarivafa compete in several international tournaments and on 2 May 2024, she was among 36 athletes named in the 2024 Refugee Olympic Team. At the

Paris Olympics Paris Olympics Paris has played a role in hosting the Modern Summer Olympics twice before 2024. 1900 following the first Modern Games Olympics in Athens Greece then in 1924. Now more recently, in 2024 starting July 26th. Paris will be the second ...

, she was eliminated in the group stages after losing both her matches in straight sets to 13th seed Yeo Jia Min from Singapore and Kate Ludik of Mauritius. Alongside her badminton training at the Sankey Academy in

Milton Keynes Milton Keynes ( ) is a city and the largest settlement in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of its urban area was over . The River Great Ouse forms its northern boundary; a tributary ...

, Yavarivafa is studying sports and exercise science at

Middlesex University Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated MDX) is a public research university in Hendon, northwest London, England. The name of the university is taken from its location within the historic county boundaries ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yavarivafa, Dorsa Living people 2003 births Sportspeople from Tehran Sportspeople of Iranian descent Iranian female badminton players Badminton players at the 2024 Summer Olympics Refugee Olympic Team at the 2024 Summer Olympics Iranian refugees Iranian emigrants to England