Largest Olympic refugee team will compete in Paris under new emblem

Eight years on from the first idea to create a Refugee Olympic Team, the third of its kind and the largest, has been chosen in Paris.

For the International Olympic Committee, the team is a symbol of hope for the more than 100 million people who have been displaced around the world, meaning its impact goes far beyond the games themselves.

From 74 athletes, 36 were chosen to compete in this year's games which kick off in the French capital on July 26th. They come from 11 countries, are currently being hosted by 15 National Olympic Committees and are representing 12 sports.

Among them was Cindy Ngamba, the first athlete from the refugee team to be selected for boxing. Alongside her was Saeid Fazloula who was listening to the announcement via video-link with his son on his lap. He said: "It's amazing to hear I am officially part of the Olympic refugee team.‌"

Speaking after the announcement, former refugee athlete at Tokyo 2020 and now leader of this year's team, Masomah Ali Zada said competing made her realize "that every dream is possible despite all of the challenges."

It will be the third refugee team to take part in the Olympic Games after the idea was first conceived at a United Nations General Assembly meeting ahead of the Rio Games in 2016. Ten athletes went on to compete, with a further 29 taking part in Tokyo four years later.

"With your participation in the Olympic Games, you will demonstrate the human potential of resilience and excellence," IOC President Thomas Bach said during the team's announcement. "Sending this symbol of hope to the more than 100 million people who unfortunately had to migrate and make the world aware of the magnitude of this crisis."

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For the first time the team will compete under its own emblem. Featuring a heart in the center, it is surrounded by arrows to symbolize lost refugees being pointed in the right direction. The emblem will be included on the team uniforms.

In a recorded speech UN High Commissioner Filippo Grande said, "The Refugee Olympic Team should remind us of the resilience, courage and hopes of all those uprooted by war and persecution. These athletes represent what human beings can do, even in the face of extreme adversity.‌"

The Olympic Refugee team is part of a wider initiative to provide safe sport for displaced people. Since its inception in 2017, the Olympic Refuge Foundation has given 400,000 young people the opportunity to participate.‌

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