Refugee Olympic Team

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|

Sporting event delegation

Refugee Olympic Team at the
Olympics

Athletes compete under the Olympic flag.

IOC code| EOR
Medals|

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Total

Summer appearances

* 2016
* 2020
* 2024

The Refugee Olympic Team is a group made up of independent Olympic participants who are refugees. In March 2016, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach announced the creation of the Refugee Olympic Athletes Team, as a symbol of hope for all refugees in the world in order to raise global awareness of the scale of the migrant crisis in Europe. In September 2017, the IOC established the Olympic Refuge Foundation to supporting refugees over the long term.[1][2]

The Olympic flag and the Olympic Hymn are used as team symbols. The participating athletes marched in the opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics, with the team entering the stadium as the penultimate delegation, just before the host country. At the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics, the team entered the stadium second after Greece.[3]

At the 2016 Summer Olympics, the team used the IOC country code ROT. At the 2020 Summer Olympics, it was changed to EOR (an abbreviation of the French Équipe olympique des réfugiés). As of 2024, no refugee Olympic athletes had participated in the Winter Olympic Games, nor Youth Olympic Games (regardless of Summer or Winter).

The team was awarded the 2022 Princess of Asturias Award for Sport for giving athletes the opportunity in conflict zones and places where human rights are violated, preventing them from performing their sporting and personal activities.[4]

Cindy Ngamba became the first person to win an Olympic medal for the Refugee Olympic Team, winning a bronze medal in the women's 75kg boxing event at the 2024 Summer Olympics.[5] Kimia Alizadeh, who represented the Refugee Olympic Team at the 2020 Summer Olympics, won bronze at the 2022 European Taekwondo Championships while representing the Refugee Team, after previously winning bronze for Iran at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and before winning bronze for Bulgaria at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

## Medal tables

[edit]

See also: All-time Olympic Games medal table

### Medals by Summer Games

[edit]

Games  | Athletes  | Gold  | Silver  | Bronze  | Total  | Rank

|
|
|
|
|
|

2016 Rio de Janeiro | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –
2020 Tokyo | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –
2024 Paris | 37 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 84
2028 Los Angeles | future event
2032 Brisbane
Total | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 151

## List of medalists

[edit]

Medal  | Name  | Games  | Sport  | Event

|
|
|
|

Bronze | Cindy Ngamba | 2024 Paris |  Boxing | Women's middleweight

## Participations

[edit]

This category was created in March 2016. The selection criteria include the sporting level, the official refugee status verified by the United Nations, the personal situation, and the background of each athlete.

### 2016 Summer Olympics

[edit]

Main article: Refugee Olympic Team at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Athlete  | Country of origin  | Host NOC  | Sport  | Event

|
|
|
|

James Chiengjiek |  South Sudan |  Kenya | Athletics | 400 m
Yiech Biel |  South Sudan |  Kenya | Athletics | 800 m
Paulo Lokoro |  South Sudan |  Kenya | Athletics | 1500 m
Yonas Kinde |  Ethiopia |  Luxembourg | Athletics | Marathon
Popole Misenga |  Democratic Republic of Congo |  Brazil | Judo | 90 kg
Rami Anis |  Syria |  Belgium | Swimming | 100 m butterfly
Rose Lokonyen |  South Sudan |  Kenya | Athletics | 800 m
Anjelina Lohalith |  South Sudan |  Kenya | Athletics | 1500 m
Yolande Mabika |  Democratic Republic of Congo |  Brazil | Judo | 70 kg
Yusra Mardini |  Syria |  Germany | Swimming | 100 m butterfly

### 2020 Summer Olympics

[edit]

Main article: Refugee Olympic Team at the 2020 Summer Olympics

At its meeting in Buenos Aires in October 2018, the International Olympic Committee decided to establish the Refugee Olympic Team (EOR) for the 2020 Summer Olympics. This decision built on the legacy of the Refugee Olympic Team in 2016 and was part of the IOC's commitment to play its part in addressing the global refugee crisis and in carrying the message of solidarity and hope to millions of refugee athletes around the world.

The IOC Session tasked Olympic Solidarity with establishing the conditions of participation and defining the team identification and selection process. These elements were carried out in close collaboration with the National Olympic Committees (NOCs), the International Sports Federations, the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee, and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). On 20 June 2019, the IOC released the list of Refugee Athlete Scholarship holders who wished to join the IOC Refugee Olympic Team, Tokyo 2020. This announcement was made on World Athlete Day, celebrated every year on 20 June.

The 56 Refugee Athlete Scholarship holders include the 10 athletes who were part of the first Refugee Olympic Team in 2016, new individual athletes, and a group of athletes preparing at the Tegla Loroupe Refugee Training Center in Kenya. All were assisted by Olympic Solidarity as part of its support program for refugee athletes. The IOC Refugee Olympic Team at the 2020 Tokyo Games consisted of 29 athletes—19 men and 10 women—hailing from 11 nations: Afghanistan, Cameroon, Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Iran, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Venezuela. These athletes competed across 12 sports: athletics, badminton, boxing, cycling, canoeing, judo, karate, shooting, swimming, taekwondo, weightlifting, and wrestling.[6]

Swimmer Yusra Mardini, who competed in the 2016 Rio Games as part of the first-ever Refugee Olympic Team, and marathon runner Tachlowini Gabriyesos were selected as flag bearers for the IOC Refugee Olympic Team at the 2020 Tokyo Games.[7]

Athlete  | Country of origin  | Host NOC  | Sport  | Event

|
|
|
|

Alaa Maso |  Syria |  Germany | Swimming | 50 m freestyle
Yusra Mardini |  Syria |  Germany | Swimming | 100 m butterfly
Dorian Keletela |  Congo |  Portugal | Athletics | 100 m
Rose Lokonyen |  South Sudan |  Kenya | Athletics | 800 m
James Chiengjiek |  South Sudan |  Kenya | Athletics | 800 m
Anjelina Lohalith |  South Sudan |  Kenya | Athletics | 1500 m
Paulo Amotun Lokoro |  South Sudan |  Kenya | Athletics | 1500 m
Jamal Abdelmaji Eisa Mohammed |  Sudan |  Israel | Athletics | 5000 m
Tachlowini Gabriyesos |  Eritrea |  Israel | Athletics | Marathon
Aram Mahmoud |  Syria |  Netherlands | Badminton | Men's singles
Wessam Salamana |  Syria |  Germany | Boxing | 63 kg
Eldric Sella |  Venezuela |  Trinidad and Tobago | Boxing | 75 kg
Saeid Fazloula |  Iran |  Germany | Canoeing | K-1 1000 m
Masomah Ali Zada |  Afghanistan |  France | Cycling | Time Trial
Ahmad Wais |  Syria |  Switzerland | Cycling | Time Trial
Sanda Aldass |  Syria |  Netherlands | Judo | Mixed team
Ahmad Alikaj |  Syria |  Germany | Judo | Mixed team
Muna Dahouk |  Syria |  Netherlands | Judo | Mixed team
Javad Mahjoub |  Iran |  Canada | Judo | Mixed team
Popole Misenga |  DR Congo |  Brazil | Judo | Mixed team
Nigara Shaheen |  Afghanistan |  Russia | Judo | Mixed team
Wael Shueb |  Syria |  Germany | Karate | Kata
Hamoon Derafshipour |  Iran |  Canada | Karate | Kumite
Luna Solomon |  Eritrea |  Switzerland | Shooting | 10 m air rifle
Dina Pouryounes |  Iran |  Netherlands | Taekwondo | 49 kg
Kimia Alizadeh |  Iran |  Germany | Taekwondo | 57 kg
Abdullah Sediqi |  Afghanistan |  Belgium | Taekwondo | 68 kg
Cyrille Fagat Tchatchet II |  Cameroon |  Great Britain | Weightlifting | 96 kg
Aker Al-Obaidi |  Iraq |  Austria | Wrestling | 67 kg

### 2024 Summer Olympics

[edit]

Main article: Refugee Olympic Team at the 2024 Summer Olympics

Athlete  | Country of origin  | Host NOC  | Sport  | Event

|
|
|
|

Dorian Keletela |  Republic of the Congo |  France | Athletics | Men's 100 m
Musa Suliman |  Sudan |  Switzerland | Athletics | Men's 800 m
Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu |  South Sudan |  Switzerland | Athletics | Men's 5000 m
Jamal Abdelmaji Eisa Mohammed |  Sudan |  Israel | Athletics | Men's 10,000 m
Tachlowini Gabriyesos |  Eritrea |  Israel | Athletics | Men's marathon
Mohammad Amin Alsalami |  Syria |  Germany | Athletics | Men's long jump
Perina Lokure Nakang |  South Sudan |  Kenya | Athletics | Women's 800 m
Farida Abaroge |  Ethiopia |  France | Athletics | Women's 1500 m
Dorsa Yavarivafa |  Iran |  Great Britain | Badminton | Women's singles
Omid Ahmadisafa |  Iran |  Germany | Boxing | Men's flyweight (51 kg)
Cindy Ngamba |  Cameroon |  Great Britain | Boxing | Women's middleweight (75 kg)
Manizha Talash |  Afghanistan |  Spain | Breaking | B-Girls
Amir Rezanejad |  Iran |  Germany | Canoeing | Men's slalom C-1
Fernando Jorge |  Cuba |  United States | Canoeing | Men's sprint C-1 1000 m
Saeid Fazloula |  Iran |  Germany | Canoeing | Men's sprint K-1 1000 m
Saman Soltani |  Iran |  Austria | Canoeing | Women's sprint K-1 500 m
Amir Ansari |  Afghanistan |  Great Britain | Cycling | Men's road time trial
Eyeru Tesfoam Gebru |  Ethiopia |  France | Cycling | Women's road race
Mohammad Rashnonezhad |  Iran |  Netherlands | Judo | Men's −60 kg, Mixed team
Arab Sibghatullah |  Afghanistan |  Germany | Judo | Men's −81 kg, Mixed team
Adnan Khankan |  Syria |  Germany | Judo | Men's −100 kg, Mixed team
Muna Dahouk |  Syria |  Netherlands | Judo | Women's −57 kg, Mixed team
Nigara Shaheen |  Afghanistan |  Canada | Judo | Women's −63 kg, Mixed team
Mahboubeh Barbari Zharfi |  Iran |  Germany | Judo | Women's +78 kg, Mixed team
Edilio Centeno Nieves |  Venezuela |  Mexico | Shooting | Men's 10 m air pistol
Luna Solomon |  Eritrea |  Switzerland | Shooting | Women's 10 m air rifle
Alaa Maso |  Syria |  Germany | Swimming | Men's 50 m freestyle
Matin Balsini |  Iran |  Great Britain | Swimming | Men's 200 m butterfly
Hadi Tiranvalipour |  Iran |  Italy | Taekwondo | Men's −58 kg
Yahya Al Ghotany |  Syria |  Jordan | Taekwondo | Men's −68 kg
Farzad Mansouri |  Afghanistan |  Great Britain | Taekwondo | Men's −80 kg
Kasra Mehdipournejad |  Iran |  Germany | Taekwondo | Men's +80 kg
Dina Pouryounes |  Iran |  Netherlands | Taekwondo | Women's −49 kg
Ramiro Mora Romero |  Cuba |  Great Britain | Weightlifting | Men's −102 kg
Yekta Jamali |  Iran |  Germany | Weightlifting | Women's −81 kg
Iman Mahdavi |  Iran |  Italy | Wrestling | Men's freestyle −74 kg
Jamal Valizadeh |  Iran |  France | Wrestling | Men's Greco-Roman −60 kg

## See also

[edit]

* EOC Refugee Team at the 2023 European Games
* Refugee Paralympic Team

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "IOC Refugee Olympic Team". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
2. ^ "Refugee Olympic Team to Shine Spotlight On Worldwide Refugee Crisis". International Olympic Committee. 3 June 2016. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
3. ^ "Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony: The magical moments". Inside The Games.
4. ^ "Refugee Olympic team awarded prestigious Spanish prize". The Washington Post. 25 May 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
5. ^ "Paris 2024: Cindy Ngamba makes history as first refugee to secure Olympic medal, reaches boxing semi-finals". Olympics. 4 August 2024.
6. ^ "IOC Refugee Olympic Team Tokyo 2020" (PDF).
7. ^ "Yusra Mardini and Tachlowini Gabriyesos announced as flagbearers of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team". International Olympic Committee. 22 July 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Yusra Mardini (2018). Butterfly; From Refugee to Olympian – My Story of Rescue, Hope, and Triumph, St. Martin's Publishing Group
* Runbin Wang, Gan Li (2018). Practice, Implementation and Idea Advocacy of the Rio Refugee Olympic Team in the View of Global Governance

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