The Olympic team of refugees, which is scheduled to compete as a separate team at the Summer Olympics in Paris, includes nine men and women who came to Germany as refugees. This was announced by the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB). A tenth athlete from the so-called Refugee Olympic Team Paris is also training in Germany, but is not looked after by the DOSB, but by the International Canoe Federation (ICF).
According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Olympic team made up of refugees includes a total of 36 athletes from eleven countries. They will compete in twelve different sports, the IOC announced. After the Summer Games in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2021, an IOC refugee team will be taking part in the Games for the third time this summer.
IOC President praises “message of hope”
“This will send a message of hope to the more than 100 million displaced people around the world,” said IOC President Thomas Bach in nominating the team. “At the same time, you will make billions of people around the world aware of the extent of the refugee crisis.”
More on the topic: Olympics in Paris
Doping: “The system is letting me down as a clean athlete”
Olympics 2024: The social ceasefire has failed
IOC: Just a fake victory for Putin
DOSB President Thomas Weikert was proud of Germany’s contribution to the selection: The athletes are “a very special role model for the unfortunately far too high number of people who find themselves in a similar situation around the world and leave their homeland involuntarily had to,” he said.
The IOC’s largest refugee team to date
The selection of refugees has been the largest since 2016. In Rio, ten athletes competed in three disciplines, and in Tokyo 29 competed in twelve disciplines. There were no medal victories. This year they will not start the tournament under the Olympic flag, but with their own emblem that shows a heart in the middle.
According to the IOC, all 23 men and 13 women from the team have refugee status in their respective countries, which has been confirmed by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). The nine athletes looked after by the DOSB come from Syria, Iran and Afghanistan.
The Olympic team of refugees, which is scheduled to compete as a separate team at the Summer Olympics in Paris, includes nine men and women who came to Germany as refugees. This was announced by the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB). A tenth athlete from the so-called Refugee Olympic Team Paris is also training in Germany, but is not looked after by the DOSB, but by the International Canoe Federation (ICF).
According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Olympic team made up of refugees includes a total of 36 athletes from eleven countries. They will compete in twelve different sports, the IOC announced. After the Summer Games in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2021, an IOC refugee team will be taking part in the Games for the third time this summer.
