Olympic Refuge Foundation

🎆 What a way to kick-off! Still recovering (and drying ourselves off) from yesterday’s excitement.   The day got going with a torch relay in the Olympic Village which included legends and friends such as our Board Member and member of the first ever Refugee Olympic Team Yiech pur Biel, our Chef de Mission Masomah ALI ZADA as well as one the certified stars of the opening ceremony UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.   The opening ceremony then started in style with the third iteration of Refugee Olympic Team sailing down the river Seine to loud cheers of support from around the world.   Finishing with a touching moment in recognition of our Co-Chair’s commitment to supporting refugees through sport, as Filippo Grandi was presented with the Olympic Laurel. Competition is already hotting up with three refugee athletes in action as Amir Ansari took to the time trial, Amir Rezanejad to the white waters, and Edilio Centeno Nieves focused his shot on the target in sport-shooting.  A beautiful, emotional start to an Olympic Games that promise so much. 💚 📸 Photos: IOC Media / Greg Martin & david burnett UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency

🎉 1 Day to go until the Opening Ceremony! 🎉 We couldn't be more excited and proud of our team! 🌟 Let us share why the IOC Refugee Olympic Team is a big deal: 🏃♀️ 37 athletes competing in 12 sports – the largest Refugee Olympic Team ever! 👩✈️ Masomah ALI ZADA became the first refugee Chef de Mission of the team, leading the way with grace. 🌍 Represents over 120 million displaced people worldwide. ✨ Their participation is a powerful symbol of inclusion, peace, and belonging. Join us, and let's cheer them on in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games! #Paris2024 #olympicrefuge #forthe100million

Cindy Ngamba 🥊and Yahya Al-Ghotany 🥋 will be the flagbearers for the Refugee Olympic Team at the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony! 🎉 Cindy, a three-time English national champion boxer living in the UK, and Yahya, a taekwondo athlete training in Jordan, will represent people affected by displacement worldwide. 🥊 Cindy shared her hopes: "It’s an honour for me to represent this special team and carry the flag for the millions of us around the world. My biggest hope is that, at this year’s Olympic Games, we can make people stand up and pay attention. Show them what refugees are capable of because we have some big ambitions.” 🏅 🥋 Yahya added: “It means a lot to me to carry this special flag for this unique team. At the Opening Ceremony, I will be thinking about everyone that has helped me on my journey – my friends, my family – but also the more than 100 million people around the world, who, just like me, have had to flee their homes. I represent all of them." With 37 athletes competing in 12 sports, the Refugee Olympic Team for Paris 2024 is the largest yet and is a powerful symbol of hope and resilience for displaced people globally. Join us in cheering for the Refugee Olympic Team! 🌏 Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dgMWh3dv #olympicrefuge #Paris2024 #forthe100million

🌟 The Olympic Games is just around the corner! 🌟  Where will you be watching the Refugee Olympic Team from? 🌍 🔗Read more about the Refugee Olympic Team here: https://lnkd.in/dkBqh_qy #olympicrefuge #Paris2024 #forthe100million

🕊️ Olympic athletes call for peace from the Olympic Village! 🌍 Today, Olympic athletes representing 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team made a powerful call for peace. Gathering four days before the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, athletes from NOCs, including whose countries are currently in conflict or war with each other, wore scarfs with the message “Give peace a chance”. 🕊️ The event saw the inauguration of the Paris 2024 Olympic Truce mural - an ancient Greek symbol that allowed safe participation of athletes in Olympic Games, and today a powerful symbol demonstrating the role sports can play to foster peace. IOC President Thomas Bach praised the athletes as the “peace ambassadors of our time” and urged them to spread the message worldwide. Masomah ALI ZADA, Chef de Mission for the IOC Refugee Olympic Team, emphasized the importance of peace from the perspective of those displaced due to conflict. “This team knows only too well the importance of peace. They know from their own experience what it is like to flee from your home, to have your safety taken from you and have no choice left but to flee because of the ever-increasing number of wars and violence.” She continued: “The team embodies what is possible – it brings people together from different countries, languages and cultures. Yet we are here, in one team, under a unified flag, the Olympic flag, representing peace and respect. Together.” 🌐🕊️ Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dxdd5bWm #OlympicTruce #Paris2024 #thrivethroughsport

🎙️ First episode of the ORF Think Tank Podcast: Think Sport. Think Refuge is out! The podcast series kicks off with a conversation featuring Rose Lokonyen, refugee athlete and flagbearer for the Refugee Olympic Team in Rio 2016, alongside ORF Think Tank member Associate Professor Simon Rosenbaum. This episode, hosted by ORF Think Tank co-chair Alastair Ager, discusses the vital role that sport can play in the lives of refugees, from elite training to grassroots initiatives. 🎧 Listen to the Podcast: https://lnkd.in/dDXfctnM 📄 Explore the evidence shared by Simon: https://lnkd.in/dDXfctnM #ThinkSportThinkRefuge #olympicrefuge #thrivethroughsport

🏅 The IOC Refugee Olympic Team united for the first time, hosted by the historic towns of Bayeux and Caen in Normandy, ahead of Paris 2024 !🏅 Composed of 37 athletes from diverse backgrounds, living in 15 countries and representing 12 sports -this marks a crucial moment of unity for the team! They enjoyed team-building activities, including a symbolic bike ride to Arromanches-les-Bains. 🚴♀️ Masomah Ali Zada, Chef de Mission of the Refugee Olympic Team, expressed the team's excitement: “The town of Bayeux has welcomed us with open arms, and it is the perfect setting for us to connect and build a team spirit and unity.  (...) We aim to carry this spirit and this togetherness with us to Paris where we will introduce this unique team to the world.” 🌍 The Refugee Olympic Team, appearing for the third consecutive Games, is the largest yet, representing over 100 million displaced people globally. Managed by the Olympic Refuge Foundation, the initiative empowers elite athletes to compete on the world's biggest stage. Let's cheer them on as they prepare for Paris 2024! 🙌 Read more here: https://lnkd.in/guNY5WyS #olympicrefuge #Paris2024 #forthe100million

⌛ 🎉 10 days to go for Paris 2024! 🎉⌛ Join us in cheering for the Refugee Olympic Team -who will represent more than 100 million refugees worldwide- as they compete on the world stage! 🌍 🔗Read more about the Refugee Olympic Team here: https://lnkd.in/dkBqh_qy #olympicrefuge #Paris2024 #forthe100million

🎙️Presenting “Think Sport. Think Refuge.” Next week The Olympic Refuge Foundation Think Tank will launch “Think Sport. Think Refuge” – a podcast exploring the role of sport in promoting peace, belonging and well-being. Episodes will feature conversations with members of the ORF Think Tank and guest refugee athletes. Hosted by the co-chair of the ORF Think Tank, Professor Alastair Ager, the podcast will highlight inspiring stories from humanitarian programmes, training activities and research efforts aimed at supporting young people affected by displacement through sport.  🎧 Don’t miss out on what promises to be an insightful listen – first episode out Monday 22 July. Read more on “Think Sport. Think Refuge” here: https://lnkd.in/dzR8q7qB

🔥 Carrying the Olympic flame for the 100 million🔥 Our Chef de Mission Masomah ALI ZADA carried the torch and in so doing represented not only the Refugee Olympic Team, but also more than a 100 million displaced people worldwide.  The Olympic Torch Relay is inspired by the practice from Ancient Greece and transmits a message of peace and friendship along its route. Reflecting on the moment, Masomah shared: "I had never imagined one day to be carrying an Olympic torch. It’s an honour for me to carry the flame, and an even bigger joy to be able to share it with my family. I hope this symbolic gesture could be a much-needed reminder for peace worldwide”. 🕊️ #olympicrefuge #Paris2024 #forthe100million