- Olympic Refugee Team returns to Paris for 2024 Games
- The group of athletes represents ‘1 in 100 million’ of displaced people
- Thirty-six stars have a chance of glory in France this summer
The Refugee Olympic Team returns to Paris this summer, with 36 athletes who will have a ‘1 in 100 million’ chance of achieving glory at the Games in France.
The team, which is made up of athletes who have faced incredible difficulties to reach the starting line, will compete alongside some of the world’s best talent for the third time, having made their Games debut in Rio de Janeiro eight years ago. years.
The inaugural team represented 60 million displaced people around the world. According to the UN, that number has since skyrocketed to more than 100 million, inspiring the team’s motto “1 in 100 million.”
Players such as Cindy Ngamba (boxing), Dorsa Yavarivafa (badminton) and Ramiro Mora (weightlifting) will represent the team, which competes in events such as breaking, swimming and canoeing.
Olympic Refugee Team to return to Paris for 2024 Games this summer
“Qualifying for the Olympic Games means everything to me,” Ngamba said.
Ngamba was born in Cameroon and moved to Bolton in the United Kingdom at the age of 12. His uncle lost her immigration documents when he returned to Cameroon and in 2019 Ngamba and his brother were detained while attending an immigration office.
The brothers were released the next day and Ngamba came out at the age of 18. As a result, she does not wish to return to Cameroon, where it is illegal to be gay.
“Each member of the Olympic Refugee Team has different backgrounds and life experiences, but sport unites us,” he said. “We’re a family and we’re going to go out there, support each other and show the world what we can do.”
Cindy Ngamba, born in Cameroon, will be one of the 36 athletes representing the team.
Athletes like Imam Mahdavi have been given a ‘1 in 100 million’ chance to compete
Weightlifter Mora was part of the Cuban team and once visited Britain as part of a circus group in which he performed as a trapeze artist.
In 2021, Mora sought asylum in the United Kingdom after taking part in a political protest in Cuba.
He said: ‘I will be very proud to go out with the emblem of the Refugee Olympic Team.
‘To represent myself, my journey, but also the thousands of people who find themselves in similar circumstances to me.
“I hope that seeing us leave Paris 2024 will bring hope and inspiration to people around the world.”
Other athletes, such as swimmer Alaa Maso and judo athlete Adnan Khankan, were forced to flee war-torn Syria to continue their Olympic dream, while taekwondo star Dina Pouryounes found a home in the Netherlands after fleeing Iran in 2015.
IOC President Thomas Bach says Games welcome team with open arms
The team was founded by the IOC to ensure that all athletes, regardless of their circumstances, have the opportunity to go to the Olympic Games.
“We welcome you all with open arms,” IOC President Thomas Bach told the 2024 team. ‘You are an enrichment to our Olympic Community and to our societies.
‘By participating in the Olympic Games you will demonstrate the human potential for resilience and excellence. This will send a message of hope to the more than 100 million displaced people around the world.
‘At the same time, you will make billions of people around the world aware of the magnitude of the refugee crisis.
“Therefore, I encourage everyone, around the world, to join us in cheering on you – the IOC Refugee Olympic Team.”