The International Olympic Committee has appointed 36 athletes from 11 countries to the Refugee Olympic Team for the 2024 Paris Olympics, making it the program's largest since it was introduced at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The team had the approval of the IOC Executive Board and relied on the United Nations Refugee Agency to confirm their refugee status. The IOC said it considered “first and foremost the sporting performance of each athlete.”
The 2024 team includes the following two swimmers: Aramaso and Matin Barsini.
Massot, 24, will be a two-time Olympian in Paris. He finished 44th in the 50-meter free at the Tokyo Games in 23.30 seconds. Maso, originally from Aleppo, Syria, fled the country with his brother in 2015 and eventually settled in Germany. His older brother Mohammad Maso represented Syria in the men's triathlon at the Tokyo Olympics.
Aleppo was one of the main battlegrounds of the Syrian civil war, and the battle for Aleppo lasted for almost four and a half years. The city was left in ruins, with an estimated 33,500 buildings destroyed, including the Maso training facility.
Maso finished 67th in the 50 free event at the 2023 World Championships with a score of 23.74.
Barsini, 23, is also a second-time Olympian, but this is his first time being part of a refugee team. Born in Tehran, Iran, he represented Iran at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, finishing 33rd in the 200 fly (1:59.97). That was his best time and he has since moved to England to train with the University of Surrey Swimming Club.
Barshini has been a member of the Iranian national team since he was 15 years old. Barshini left Iran in 2022 and was away from Poole for seven months while applying for asylum.
This 1:59.97 remains his best time at this tournament.
Swimming is the sport of the most famous refugee athlete of all time Yusra Mardini After competing in the Olympics twice, he retired in 2023. She rose to fame by helping her sister and two other refugees tow a boat carrying 20 people across the Aegean Sea for three hours before reaching land. She was recently named to Forbes magazine's list of Europe's 30 Under 30 Sports and Games.
“The Refugee Olympic Team should be a reminder of the resilience, courage and hope of all people forced from their homes by war and persecution. These athletes exemplify what humans are capable of in the face of extreme adversity. ” said Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
“The team also reminds us that sport can be transformative for people whose lives have been disrupted, often in dire circumstances. Transformative for everyone, not just Olympians.” Sports provide a break, an escape from daily worries, a sense of safety, and a moment of fun. It gives people the opportunity to heal physically and mentally and become part of the community again. can do.”
The team represents more than 100 million UN-designated refugees around the world.
Paris 2024 refugee team in numbers
- Provided refugee scholarships to 74 athletes
- 36 players will participate
- 15 host national Olympic committees
- Refugee athletes appear in 12 sports
Refugee Olympic Team at the Olympics
- Rio 2016 (Summer) – 10 athletes
- Tokyo 2020 (Summer) – 29 players
- Paris 2024 (Summer) – 36 players
Until now, refugee athletes have never participated in the Winter Olympics. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the team entered the stadium second in the national parade after Greece, the founder of the Olympic tradition, demonstrating the importance of the Refugee Olympic Team to the IOC's mission.
Although the Refugee Olympic Team has never won an Olympic medal, they came close at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Kimia Alizadeh In the women's under-57kg category, she was defeated in the bronze medal match. Other top performances from the group include:
- Judoka Popole Misenga made it to the round of 16 in the men's 90kg category at the 2016 Olympics.
- Takrowini Gavriesos finished 16th in the men's marathon at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
- Judoka Javad Mahjoub made it to the last 16 in the men's 100kg+ category at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
- By numbers (funding, sports, etc., number of displaced people)
The opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics will be held on July 26, 2024, but some competitions will start on July 24.
