Paris 2024: This Year’s Refugee Olympics Team Surpasses Previous Editions with Unprecedented Participation – 37 Athletes Representing Over 11 Nations in 12 Diverse Sports
In an inspiring display of resilience and determination, the third consecutive Summer Olympics will once again showcase the Refugee Olympics Team. This year’s contingent, larger than ever, features 37 athletes hailing from at least 11 countries, competing across 12 varied sports. Despite enduring immense hardships and adversity en route to Paris, these athletes are here to make their presence felt.
Take Cameroon-born boxer Cindy Ngamba, one of the team’s flag-bearers for Friday’s opening ceremony, for example. “When the name ‘Refugee Olympic Team’ is announced, refugees worldwide will feel acknowledged,” she shared with Reuters. “We’re recognized not just as refugees but as athletes—fighters with a ravenous appetite for success, part of a unified family.”
Ngamba further emphasized, “We are athletes, not merely refugees. People often label us as refugees and overlook that we harbor the same ambitions as other competitors here. We can achieve, win, and demonstrate the same passion, hunger, and vigor.”
The Refugee Olympic Team, established in 2015, first participated in the Rio 2016 Games with a 10-member squad. As conflicts and displacement continue to afflict various regions globally, the 37-member team in Paris will compete in disciplines such as swimming, canoeing, wrestling, and taekwondo.
While it might be tempting to reduce their Olympic participation to mere inspirational narratives, the struggles these athletes have endured are integral to their journeys. Their refugee status is a badge they wear with honor.
Consider Manizha Talash, a 21-year-old breakdancer from Kabul. Inspired by a random video, she ventured into a male-dominated arena. Her passion for breakdancing became nearly impossible to pursue after the Taliban’s resurgence in Afghanistan in 2021. Talash, who had been a caretaker for her younger brother while on the run in Pakistan, eventually found refuge in Spain. Recognized for her talent, the IOC funded her rigorous six-day-a-week training and included her in the refugee team. “Being at the Games and in Paris is a victory for me,” Talash told TIME magazine.
Similarly, her compatriot Farzad Mansouri, a taekwondo athlete, sees sports as an escape from past horrors. Mansouri, who competed in Tokyo and served as Afghanistan’s flag-bearer, fled to the UK after the Taliban’s takeover. Though he gets another chance to compete at the Olympics, his friend and teammate, Mohammed Jan Sultani, was killed in a suicide bombing at Kabul airport. Mansouri competes in his honor. “I hope for peace in my country and around the world,” he expressed to The Guardian.
Some refugees use the Games to sustain their competitive spirits. Saman Soltani, a 28-year-old canoeist, couldn’t return to Iran after an artistic swimming program in Spain two years ago. She sought refuge with a former coach in Austria, her only contact in Europe. Captivated by canoeing, she quickly rose through the ranks to become the Austrian national champion. Saman aspires to win gold, potentially under the Austrian flag in LA 2028, or for the refugee team. “I’ve always known I’m special; I’ve always dreamed big,” she told AFP. “I’m excited about what I will achieve in the future because I want to be world-renowned.”
Others embrace their role as exemplars. “Being part of this team comes with a certain responsibility,” said 21-year-old runner Perina Lokure Nakang, born in South Sudan and raised in a Kenyan refugee camp, to elle.com. “We represent over 120 million refugees globally. I want to show the world that we can achieve anything if given a chance.”
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