Refugee Olympic Team at the 2024 Summer Olympics

The IOC Refugee Olympic Team (French: Équipe olympique des réfugiés, ÉOR) competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. 37 athletes from 11 countries of origin represented the Refugee Olympic Team at the 2024 Summer Olympics in 12 sports, with 14 of the 37 athletes being Iranian.[1][2]

Refugee Olympic Team at the
2024 Summer Olympics
Individuals compete under the Olympic Flag
IOC codeEOR
NOCÉquipe olympique des réfugiés
in Paris, France
26 July 2024 (2024-07-26) – 11 August 2024 (2024-08-11)
Competitors37 in 12 sports
Flag bearer (opening)Yahya Al Ghotany & Cindy Ngamba
Flag bearer (closing)Farida Abaroge & Kasra Mehdipournejad
OfficialsMasomah Ali Zada, chef de mission
Medals
Ranked 84th
Gold
0
Silver
0
Bronze
1
Total
1
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)

Yahya Al Ghotany and Cindy Ngamba were the delegation's flagbearers during the opening ceremony.[3]

Medalists

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Cindy Ngamba won a bronze medal, becoming the first-ever Olympian to win a medal for the Refugee Olympic Team at the Olympic Games.[4][5][6]

Medal Name Sport Event Date
  Bronze Cindy Ngamba Boxing Women's middleweight 8 August
Medals by sport
Sport       Total
Boxing 0 0 1 1
Medals by date
Day Date       Total
13 8 August 0 0 1 1
Total 0 0 1 1
Medals by gender
Gender       Total
Male 0 0 0 0
Female 0 0 1 1
Mixed 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 1 1

Team selection

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On 2 May 2024, the IOC announced that 36 athletes would represent the Refugee Olympic Team, before adding the 37th athlete afterward.[2][7]

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 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   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 (75kg)
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   Sweden 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
Sibghatullah Arab   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
Francisco 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 Tiran   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

Competitors

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Masomah Ali Zada is the chef de mission for the team.[8]

The following is the list of number of competitors in the Games.

Sport Men Women Total
Athletics 6 2 8
Badminton 0 1 1
Boxing 1 1 2
Breaking 0 1 1
Canoeing 3 1 4
Cycling 1 1 2
Judo 3 3 6
Shooting 1 1 2
Swimming 2 0 2
Taekwondo 4 1 5
Weightlifting 1 1 2
Wrestling 2 0 2
Total 24 13 37

Athletics

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Key
  • Note–Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only
  • Q = Qualified for the next round
  • q = Qualified for the next round as a fastest loser or, in field events, by position without achieving the qualifying target
  • qR = Advanced to next round by referee
  • R = Qualified for the repechage round
  • NR = National record
  • N/A = Round not applicable for the event
  • Bye = Athlete not required to compete in round
Track and road events
Men
Athlete Event Heat Repechage Semifinal Final
Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank
Dorian Keletela 100 m 10.58 8 Did not advance
Musa Suliman 800 m 1:49.61 9 R 1:50.11 9 Did not advance
Dominic Lobalu 5000 m 14:15.49 15 qR 13:15.27 4
Jamal Abdelmaji Eisa Mohammed 10,000 m 27:35.92 PB 18
Tachlowini Gabriyesos Marathon 2:12:47 42
Women
Athlete Event Heat Repechage Semifinal Final
Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank
Perina Lokure 800 m 2:08.20 PB 9 R 2:11.33 7 Did not advance
Farida Abaroge 1500 m 4:29.27 SB 14 R 4:30.53 12 Did not advance
Field events
Athlete Event Qualification Final
Distance Position Distance Position
Mohammad Amin Alsalami Men's long jump 7.24 29 Did not advance

Badminton

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The Refugee Olympic Team entered one badminton player into the Olympic tournament. Former Iranian badminton player, Dorsa Yavarivafa entered the games after being selected by the IOC.[9]

Athlete Event Group stage Elimination Quarter-final Semi-final Final / BM
Opposition
Score
Opposition
Score
Rank Opposition
Score
Opposition
Score
Opposition
Score
Opposition
Score
Rank
Dorsa Yavarivafa Women's singles   Yeo (SGP)
L (7–21, 8–21)
  Ludik (MRI)
L (5–21, 11–21)
3 Did not advance

Boxing

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Refugee Olympic Team entered two boxers. Former Cameroonian boxer, Cindy Ngamba (women's middleweight) secured the one spot the Refugee Olympic Team squad in her weight division by finishing in the top two at the 2024 World Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament 1 in Busto Arsizio, Italy.[10] Later on, the IOC announced that Cindy and former Iranian boxer, Omid Ahmadisafa would compete at the Games.

Athlete Event Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Rank
Omid Ahmadisafa Men's flyweight   Roscoe (USA)
0L 0–5
Did not advance
Cindy Ngamba Women's middleweight   Thibeault (CAN)
W 3–2
  Michel (FRA)
W 5–0
  Bylon (PAN)
L 1–4
Did not advance  

Breaking

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Refugee Olympic Team entered a breakdancer to compete in the B-Girl dual battles for Paris 2024. Former Afghan B-Girl Manizha Talash (Talash) qualified for the games following the announcement of Refugee Olympic Team by IOC.

During her event Talash wore a cape with the phrase "Free Afghan Women" on it in the pre-qualifier round.[11][12][13] She lost the round 0–3 to India Sardjoe from the Netherlands, before the result was updated to her being disqualified for displaying a political slogan, which is a violation of rule 50 of the Olympic Charter.[14][15]

Athlete Nickname Event Pre-qualifier Round robin Quarterfinal Semifinal Final / BM
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Rank Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Rank
Manizha Talash Talash B-Girls   Sardjoe (NED)
L 0–3 DSQ
Did not advance

Canoeing

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Key
  • H = Qualified for heats
  • R = Qualified for the repechage round

Slalom

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Former Iranian canoeists, Amir Rezanejad confirmed a boat in the men's C-1 for the Games, after being selected by the IOC to represent the Refugee Olympic Team.

Athlete Event Preliminary Semifinal Final
Run 1 Rank Run 2 Rank Best Rank Time Rank Time Rank
Amir Rezanejad Men's C-1 116.16 19 119.48 19 116.16 19 Did not advance

Kayak cross

Athlete Event Time trial Round 1 Repechage Heat Quarterfinal Semifinal Final
Time Rank Position Position Position Position Position Position Rank
Amir Rezanejad Men's KX-1 79.15 32 DNF R 3 Did not advance 36

Sprint

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Two Former Iranian canoeists, Saeid Fazloula and Saman Soltani; and a former Cuban canoeist, Fernando Jorge; confirmed a boat in their respective classes for the Games, after being selected by the IOC to represent the Refugee Olympic Team.[16]

Athlete Event Heats Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
Time Rank Time Rank Time Rank Time Rank
Fernando Jorge Men's C-1 1000 m 3:54.90 3 Q 4:06.63 4 Did not advance 22
Saeid Fazloula Men's K-1 1000 m 3:42.80 4 Q 3:40.94 4 Did not advance 23
Saman Soltani Women's K-1 500 m 2:02.19 7 Q 2:01.43 6 Did not advance 38

Qualification Legend: Q = Qualify to next round; FA = Qualify to final (medal); FB = Qualify to final B (non-medal)

Cycling

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Road

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Refugee Olympic Team, entered two cyclist to compete at the games. Ex-Afghan cyclist Amir Ansari, and ex-Ethiopian cyclist Eyeru Tesfoam Gebru were nominated by the IOC to compete at the games.

Athlete Event Time Rank
Amir Ansari Men's time trial 40:26.14 30
Eyeru Tesfoam Gebru Women's road race DNF

Judo

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Refugee Olympic Team entered 6 judoka (three men and three women) into Paris 2024.[17][18] The team including; Two ex-Iranian judoka, Mohammad Rashnonezhad and Mahboubeh Barbari Zharfi; two ex-Afghan judoka, Sibghatullah Arab and Nigara Shaheen; two ex-Syrian judoka, Adnan Khankan and Muna Dahouk. Dahouk, who left Syria for the Netherlands with her family in 2019, told CBS that she wants to use her platform as a refugee athlete to break down stereotypes and challenge misconceptions about refugees: "I will represent the refugees around the world – to show people what the refugees can do. We are not weak people. We can be athletes, we can be students, we can be anything we want."[19] Khankan, aged 30 and originally from Damascus, fled Syria in 2015 and now lives in Cologne in Germany; he describes Muhammad Ali as his inspiration.[20]

Athlete Event Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarterfinals Semifinals Repechage Final / BM Rank
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Mohammad Rashnonezhad Men's −66 kg   Khyar (FRA)
L 00–10
Did not advance 17
Sibghatullah Arab Men's −81 kg   Casse (BEL)
L 01–11
Did not advance 17
Adnan Khankan Men's −100 kg   Eich (SUI)
L 00–10
Did not advance 17
Muna Dahouk Women's −57 kg   Jiménez (PAN)
L 00–10
Did not advance 17
Nigara Shaheen Women's −63 kg   Awiti (MEX)
L 00–10
Did not advance 17
Mahboubeh Barbari Zharfi Women's +78 kg   Morillo (DOM)
L 00-10
Did not advance 17
Mixed
Athlete Event Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarterfinals Semifinals Repechage Final / BM
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Rank
Mohammad Rashnonezhad
Sibghatullah Arab
Adnan Khankan
Muna Dahouk
Nigara Shaheen
Mahboubeh Barbari Zharfi
Team   Spain (ESP)
L 0–4
Did not advance 17

Shooting

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Two shooters achieved quota places for the Refugee Olympics Team. Former Eritrean sport-shooter, Luna Solomon; and former Venezuelan sport-shooter Francisco Edilio Centeno; both would compete at the Games after being announced by the IOC.[21]

Athlete Event Qualification Final
Points Rank Points Rank
Francisco Edilio Centeno Men's 10 m air pistol 562 30 Did not advance
Luna Solomon Women's 10 m air rifle 601.2 43 Did not advance

Swimming

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Two swimmers; Alaa Maso (former Syrian swimmer) and Matin Balsini (former Iranian); would represent the Refugee Olympic Team, after being announced by the IOC.[22]

Athlete Event Heat Semifinal Final
Time Rank Time Rank Time Rank
Alaa Maso Men's 50 m freestyle 23.90 47 Did not advance
Matin Balsini Men's 200 m butterfly 2:00.77 26 Did not advance

Qualifiers for the latter rounds (Q) of all events were decided on a time only basis, therefore positions shown are overall results versus competitors in all heats.

Taekwondo

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Refugee Olympic Team announced five athletes to compete at the games. Three former Iranians; Hadi Tiran, Kasra Mehdipournejad and Dina Pouryounes; one former Syrian, Yahya Al-Ghotany; and one former Afghan, Farzad Mansouri; were all set to compete at the games.[23]

Originally, two athletes already qualified for the games; Ali Reza Abbasi qualified for the games by winning the semifinal round in his division at the 2024 Asian Qualification Tournament in Tai'an, China;[24] and Kimia Alizadeh qualified for the games by winning the semifinal round in her division at the 2024 European Qualification Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria. Later on, both of them could not compete at the games, because Kimia received her Bulgarian passport, which made her represent the Bulgarian team;[25] and Ali's quota was declined by the IOC and being replaced by Yahya.[26]

Athlete Event Qualification Round of 16 Quarterfinals Semifinals Repechage Final / BM
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Rank
Hadi Tiran Men's −58 kg   Yaser (PLE)
L 3–4, 0–5
Did not advance 17=
Yahya Al Ghotany Men's −68 kg   Lo (HKG)
L 0−14, 4−16
Did not advance 17
Farzad Mansouri Men's −80 kg   Nickolas (USA)
L 7−10, 1−3
Did not advance 11=
Kasra Mehdipournejad Men's +80 kg   Mara (PNG)
W 3–4, 6–0, 15–2
  Cissé (CIV)
L 1–6, 1–13
Did not advance 11=
Dina Pouryounes Women's −49 kg   Guo (CHN)
L 4−5, 0−12
Did not advance   Dinçel (TUR)
L 4−13, 1−13
Did not advance 7=

Weightlifting

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Refugee Olympic Team entered two weightlifters into the Olympic competition. Former Cuban weightlifters, Ramiro Mora Romero; and former Iranian weightlifters Yekta Jamali secured their spots, respectively in men's under 102 kg and women's under 81 kg, after being nominated by the IOC.[27]

Athlete Event Snatch Clean & Jerk Total Rank
Result Rank Result Rank
Ramiro Mora Romero Men's −102 kg 166 10 210 7 376 7
Yekta Jamali Women's −81 kg 103 9 128 9 231 9

Wrestling

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Refugee Olympics Team entered two wrestlers to compete at the Olympic competition. Former Iranian wrestlers, Iman Mahdavi and Jamal Valizadeh entered the games after being announced to represent the team by the IOC.[28]

Key:

  • VT (ranking points: 5–0 or 0–5) – Victory by fall.
  • VB (ranking points: 5–0 or 0–5) – Victory by injury (VF for forfeit, VA for withdrawal or disqualification)
  • PP (ranking points: 3–1 or 1–3) – Decision by points – the loser with technical points.
  • PO (ranking points: 3–0 or 0–3) – Decision by points – the loser without technical points.
  • ST (ranking points: 4–0 or 0–4) – Great superiority – the loser without technical points and a margin of victory of at least 8 (Greco-Roman) or 10 (freestyle) points.
  • SP (ranking points: 4–1 or 1–4) – Technical superiority – the loser with technical points and a margin of victory of at least 8 (Greco-Roman) or 10 (freestyle) points.
Freestyle
Athlete Event Round of 16 Quarterfinal Semifinal Repechage Final / BM
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Rank
Iman Mahdavi Men's 74 kg   Tsabolov (SRB)
L 0–4ST
Did not advance 17
Greco-Roman
Athlete Event Round of 16 Quarterfinal Semifinal Repechage Final / BM
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Rank
Jamal Valizadeh Men's 60 kg   Bakhromov (UZB)
L 0–4ST
Did not advance 17

References

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  1. ^ "۱۴ ورزشکار ایرانی در قالب تیم پناهندگان IOC به المپیک پاریس می‌آیند". Iran International (in Persian). 30 June 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  2. ^ a b "IOC REFUGEE OLYMPIC TEAM PARIS 2024 ANNOUNCED, FORMED OF 36 ATHLETES". International Olympic Committee. 2 May 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Boxer and taekwondo athlete to carry Refugee Olympic Team flag". Inside the Games. 25 July 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  4. ^ Hincks, Michael. "Paris 2024: Cindy Ngamba makes history as first refugee to secure Olympic medal, reaches boxing semifinals". olympics.com.
  5. ^ "Paris Olympics boxing: Cindy Ngamba guarantees Refugee Olympic Team's first medal". BBC Sport. 4 August 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  6. ^ Ronald, Issy (4 August 2024). "Olympic moment of the day: Cindy Ngamba wins first ever medal for Refugee Olympic Team". CNN. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  7. ^ "What is the Refugee Olympic Team at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games?". 26 July 2024.
  8. ^ "Masomah Ali Zada reflects on new role with the Refugee Olympic Team for Paris 2024". Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  9. ^ "YAVARIVAFA VOWS TO 'MAKE EVERYONE PROUD'". Badminton World Federation. 11 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  10. ^ "Boxing 1st World Qualification Tournament - Busto Arsizio: Which boxers have obtained quotas for Paris 2024?". Olympics. 11 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  11. ^ "Manizha Talash Wore a "Free Afghan Women" Cape During Olympics Breakdancing". Teen Vogue. 9 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  12. ^ Cooper, Mark. "B-girll Talash reveals 'Free Afghan Women' cape during Olympic performance". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  13. ^ "Breaking competitor unveils 'Free Afghan Women' cape during Olympic performance". The Independent. 9 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  14. ^ Schad, Tom. "Refugee breaker disqualified for wearing 'Free Afghan Women' cape at Paris Olympics". USA TODAY. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  15. ^ "Olympics breaking: Refugee b-girl Talash wears slogan at Games". BBC Sport. 9 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  16. ^ "Four paddlers named in IOC Refugee Olympic Team for Paris 2024". International Canoe Federation. 2 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  17. ^ Messner, Nicolas (3 May 2024). "The Adventure Continues for the Refugee Team". International Judo Federation. Archived from the original on 26 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  18. ^ "1 in 100 Million". International Judo Federation. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  19. ^ Smolinski, Paulina (26 July 2024). "What is the IOC refugee Olympic team and who is on it for the 2024 Games?". CBS News. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  20. ^ Fleming, Rory (18 July 2024). "Inspired by Muhammad Ali, meet the judo star who fled civil war conscription in Syria and will now compete at the Paris Olympics". CNN. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  21. ^ "Two shooting sport athletes named in IOC Refugee Olympic Team for Paris 2024 as Solomon earns second Games appearance". issf-sports.org/. ISSF. 2 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  22. ^ "Swimmers Matin Balsini and Alaa Maso named to the Olympic Refugee Team for the Paris 2024 Games". World Aquatics. 2 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  23. ^ "Five Taekwondo athletes named on IOC Refugee Olympic Team Paris 2024". World Taekwondo. 2 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  24. ^ "China wins sixth Olympic licence for taekwondo". Inside The Games. 16 March 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  25. ^ "Refugee taekwondo athlete Kimia Alizadeh receives Bulgarian citizenship". Inside The Games. 22 April 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  26. ^ "Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea and Fiji receive Taekwondo Olympic berths after quota reallocation". Inside The Games. 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  27. ^ "Lifters Mora and Jamali included in the 2024 Olympic Refugee Team". International Weightlifting Federation. 2 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  28. ^ "Valizadeh, Mahdavi named in IOC Refugee Team for 2024 Paris Olympics". United World Wrestling. 2 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.