2024 Refugee Olympic Team announced for Paris

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced the 36 athletes who will compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games as members of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team.

The 2024 team includes athletes from 11 different countries who have qualified to compete across 12 Olympic sports.

Through incredible resilience, strength and talent, the athletes have earned their place in the Games, competing in sports such as boxing, athletics, cycling, swimming and weightlifting.

While most members of the team have resettled in countries around the world, two of the athletes are still living in refugee camps.  

Perina Lokure Nakang fled South Sudan with her aunt when she was seven years old, eventually settling in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. In Kakuma, she found comfort in playing sports, including basketball and football, before discovering running, which became her passion. 

Running helped Perina navigate the challenges of camp life and gave her an Olympic dream to work towards. She will compete in athletics at the Paris Games.

Yahya Al Ghotany will compete in Taekwondo at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He began practising the martial art after arriving in Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan, after fleeing the war in Syria with his family. After just five years of training, Yahya reached black belt second dan level.

He now trains twice a day at the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation’s Azraq Academy. 

The 2024 team will be led by the Chef de Mission, Masomah Ali Zada, who competed at the Tokyo Olympics as a member of the Refugee Olympic Team. Masomah celebrated the athletes at the team announcement:

“All of you had a dream, and today your dream to compete at the Olympic Games is closer than ever,” she said. “With all the challenges that you have faced, you now have a chance to inspire a new generation, represent something bigger than yourselves and show the world what refugees are capable of.” 

The IOC Refugee Olympic Team represents more than 117 million forcibly displaced people worldwide, highlighting both the scale of displacement and the potential of refugees when given opportunities to thrive.

The selection process for the team is based on sporting performances and the athlete's refugee status, as confirmed by UNHCR. 

This marks the third time an IOC Refugee Olympic Team will compete at the Olympic Games. The team’s announcement was made by IOC President, Thomas Bach, during a live-streamed ceremony from Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland. 

“We welcome all of you with open arms,” said Bach. “You are an enrichment to our Olympic Community, and to our societies. With your participation in the Olympic Games, you will demonstrate the human potential of resilience and excellence.”

The Refugee Olympic Team's participation in the Olympic Games sends a powerful message of hope, belonging, and inclusion. As the athletes prepare to compete on the world stage, they will not only represent themselves and their sports, but also millions of displaced people around the globe.