The IOC Refugee Olympic Team (, ÉOR) competed 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 ...

in Paris, France. 37 athletes from 11 countries of origin represented the Refugee Olympic Team at the 2024 Summer Olympics in 12 sports, with 14 of the 37 athletes being Iranian. Yahya Al Ghotany and Cindy Ngamba were the delegation's flagbearers during the opening ceremony.

Medalists

Cindy Ngamba won a bronze medal, becoming the first-ever Olympian to win a medal 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 Olympic Games.

Team selection

On 2 May 2024, the

IOC The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

announced that 36 athletes would represent the Refugee Olympic Team, before adding the 37th athlete afterward.

Competitors

Masomah Ali Zada Masomah Ali Zada (born on 11 March 1996) is a road cyclist, born in Afghanistan, who qualified for, and took part in, the 2020 Olympic Games as part of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Refugee Olympic Team. Born in Afghanistan, Ali Zad ...

is the ''

chef de mission In diplomatic usage, head of mission (HOM) or chief of mission (COM) from the French "chef de mission diplomatique" (CMD) is the head of a diplomatic representation, such as an ambassador, high commissioner, nuncio, chargé d'affaires, permanent ...

'' for the team. The following is the list of number of competitors in the Games.

Athletics

;Track and road events ;Men ;Women ;Field events

Badminton

The Refugee Olympic Team entered one badminton player into the Olympic tournament. Former Iranian badminton player,

Dorsa Yavarivafa Dorsa Yavarivafa (; born 31 July 2003) is an Iranian badminton player who competed for the Refugee Olympic Team at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Biography Introduced to badminton by her father when she was nine years old, Yavarivafa left Iran aged ...

entered the games after being selected by the

Boxing

Refugee Olympic Team entered two boxers. Former Cameroonian boxer, Cindy Ngamba (women's middleweight) secured the one spot the Refugee Olympic Team squad in her weight division by finishing in the top two at the 2024 World Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament 1 in Busto Arsizio, Italy. Later on, the

announced that Cindy and former Iranian boxer,

Omid Ahmadisafa Omid Ahmadisafa (born 24 September 1992) is an Iranian kickboxer who competed for Iran Kickboxing National Team. Biography Omid Ahmadi Safa was born in 1992 in Tehran. He is martial artist and a former member of Iran's national boxing and k ...

would compete at the Games.

Breaking

Refugee Olympic Team entered a breakdancer to compete in the B-Girl dual battles for Paris 2024. Former Afghan B-Girl Manizha Talash (Talash) qualified for the games following the announcement of Refugee Olympic Team by

. During her event Talash wore a cape with the phrase "Free Afghan Women" on it in the pre-qualifier round. She lost the round 0–3 to India Sardjoe from the Netherlands, before the result was updated to her being disqualified for displaying a political slogan, which is a violation of rule 50 of the

Olympic Charter The Olympic Charter is a set of rules and guidelines for the organisation of the Olympic Games, and for governing the Olympic movement. Its last revision was on the 17th of July 2020 during the 136th IOC Session, held by video conference. Adop ...

Canoeing

Slalom

Former Iranian canoeists, Amir Rezanejad confirmed a boat in the men's C-1 for the Games, after being selected by the IOC to represent the Refugee Olympic Team. Kayak cross

Sprint

Two Former Iranian canoeists, Saeid Fazloula and Saman Soltani; and a former Cuban canoeist, Fernando Jorge; confirmed a boat in their respective classes for the Games, after being selected by the IOC to represent the Refugee Olympic Team. Qualification Legend: Q = Qualify to next round; FA = Qualify to final (medal); FB = Qualify to final B (non-medal)

Cycling

Road

Refugee Olympic Team, entered two cyclist to compete at the games. Ex-Afghan cyclist Amir Ansari, and ex-Ethiopian cyclist Eyeru Tesfoam Gebru were nominated by the IOC to compete at the games.

Judo

Refugee Olympic Team entered 6 judoka (three men and three women) into Paris 2024. The team including; Two ex-Iranian judoka, Mohammad Rashnonezhad and Mahboubeh Barbari Zharfi; two ex-Afghan judoka, Sibghatullah Arab and

Nigara Shaheen Nigara Shaheen (born 7 June 1993) is an Afghan judoka based in Canada. Life Nigara Shaheen was born in Afghanistan. When she was six months old, her family moved from Jalalabad to Pakistan, fleeing the Afghan War. At age 18, she moved to Ka ...

; two ex-Syrian judoka, Adnan Khankan and

Muna Dahouk Muna Dahouk ( ar, منى دهوك; born 27 August 1995) is a judoka from Syria who competed at the 2020 Olympic Games as part of the IOC Refugee Team. Early life She started judo in Damascus when she was six years old. Her father was a judo te ...

. Dahouk, who left

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

for the Netherlands with her family in 2019, told CBS that she wants to use her platform as a refugee athlete to break down stereotypes and challenge misconceptions about refugees: "I will represent the refugees around the world – to show people what the refugees can do. We are not weak people. We can be athletes, we can be students, we can be anything we want." Khankan, aged 30 and originally from

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

, fled Syria in 2015 and now lives in Cologne in Germany; he describes

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

as his inspiration. ;Mixed

Shooting

Two shooters achieved quota places for the Refugee Olympics Team. Former Eritrean sport-shooter, Luna Solomon; and former Venezuelan sport-shooter Francisco Edilio Centeno; both would compete at the Games after being announced by the IOC.

Swimming

Two swimmers;

Alaa Maso Alaa Maso ( ar, علاء ماسو; born 1 January 2000) is a Syrian swimmer. He competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics for the Refugee Olympic Team, taking part in the men's 50m freestyle. His brother Mohamad Maso Mohamad Maso ( ar, محمد ...

(former Syrian swimmer) and Matin Balsini (former Iranian); would represent the Refugee Olympic Team, after being announced by the IOC. Qualifiers for the latter rounds (Q) of all events were decided on a time only basis, therefore positions shown are overall results versus competitors in all heats.

Taekwondo

Refugee Olympic Team announced five athletes to compete at the games. Three former Iranians; Hadi Tiran, Kasra Mehdipournejad and

Dina Pouryounes Dina Pouryounes Langeroudi (born 1 January 1992) is a taekwondo athlete from Iran, who competes for the Netherlands. She participated in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Career Pouryounes competed in her first major international event as a senior ...

; one former Syrian, Yahya Al-Ghotany; and one former Afghan,

Farzad Mansouri Farzad Mansouri (born 19 March 2002) is an Afghan taekwondo practitioner. At the 2020 Summer Olympics, Mansouri and Kamia Yousufi carried Afghanistan's flag at the Opening Ceremony. Career Farzad Mansouri won a silver medal at the 2019 Asian ...

; were all set to compete at the games. Originally, two athletes already qualified for the games; Ali Reza Abbasi qualified for the games by winning the semifinal round in his division at the 2024 Asian Qualification Tournament in Tai'an, China; and Kimia Alizadeh qualified for the games by winning the semifinal round in her division at the 2024 European Qualification Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria. Later on, both of them could not compete at the games, because Kimia received her Bulgarian passport, which made her represent the Bulgarian team; and Ali's quota was declined by the IOC and being replaced by Yahya.

Weightlifting

Refugee Olympic Team entered two weightlifters into the Olympic competition. Former Cuban weightlifters, Ramiro Mora Romero; and former Iranian weightlifters

Yekta Jamali Yekta Jamali Galeh ( fa, یکتا جمالی, born December 16, 2004, in Sedeh Lenjan, Isfahan Isfahan ( fa, اصفهان, Esfahân ), from its Achaemenid empire, ancient designation ''Aspadana'' and, later, ''Spahan'' in Sassanian Empi ...

secured their spots, respectively in men's under 102 kg and women's under 81 kg, after being nominated by the IOC.

Wrestling

Refugee Olympics Team entered two wrestlers to compete at the Olympic competition. Former Iranian wrestlers, Iman Mahdavi and Jamal Valizadeh entered the games after being announced to represent the team by the IOC. ;Freestyle ;Greco-Roman

References

{{Country at games navbox, Refugee Olympic Team, Olympics Nations at the 2024 Summer Olympics

2024 Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1928 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ***''Steamboat Willie'', Walt Disney's fi ...