Messages of Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic refugee athletes resonate on International Day of Peace

The Eiffel Tower, Invalides, Chateau de Versailles... Paris 2024 had no shortage of stunning locations, but one in particular – missing on a tourist map – sent shivers down the spine.

In the Olympic Village, several columns stood in a circle around a plaque reminding Games participants about the dream world of the Olympic Truce: one of peace, respect, solidarity, inclusion. and equality. On each of these columns was a white space where athletes, coaches, and team officials could write messages of their own.

Just a few steps away from the Olympic Truce Mural, its philosophical ideals were brought to life. In the Village dining halls, residences, and common areas more than 10,000 athletes from 203 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) coexisted peacefully, sharing laughs, swapping pins, and indulging in those famous chocolate muffins together despite battling each other on the field of play or, in the case of some athletes, coming from countries that are in conflict with one another.

As the world marks the International Day of Peace on 21 September, the microcosm of life in the Olympic and Paralympic Village stands out as an example of what it means to cultivate a culture of peace, the theme of this year's celebration.

While all Games promote such a culture, this message rang out even louder at Paris 2024 where refugee athletes won medals for the first time in the history of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. All three turned their victories into an opportunity to speak about peace – and it is a message they hope will resonate well beyond Paris 2024.

• Olympic athletes call for peace from the Olympic Village – IOC President Bach: “You are the peace ambassadors of our time”
• “Creating a culture of peace”: How athletes demonstrated the unifying power of sport during Paris 2024

Writing messages of peace on the wall

The Olympic Truce Mural has been set up in the Olympic Village at every Games edition since Torino 2006.

It has a different design each time. For example, at Rio 2016, the Mural was a mosaic of white, green, and blue tiles – a nod to the famed tiled boardwalk along Copacabana Beach. At PyeongChang 2018 it was a grey brick wall with a bridge passing through the middle to symbolise that sport can build connections in the most difficult circumstances.

By signing the Mural, Games participants show their support for the Olympic Truce, which calls on nations to cease hostilities from seven days before the start of the Olympic Games until seven days after the Paralympic Games.

At Paris 2024, the white space on the columns that made up the Olympic Truce Mural quickly filled up with scribbled messages from athletes and team staff. Among them there was one from the Chef de Mission of the Olympic Refugee Team, Masomah Ali Zada.

“We are representing the stories of over 120 million forcibly displaced people across the world. This team knows only too well the importance of peace. The athletes have told me their stories. 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,” Ali Zada said.

“In my experiences with the Refugee Olympic Team, I have been encouraged by what I see. 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.”

First Olympic refugee medallist Cindy Ngamba: "I'm one of millions"

The Olympic Refugee Team at Paris 2024 brought together 37 athletes from 11 countries who competed across 12 sports. Many of them have had to flee their homes due to armed conflicts, just like those in the broader refugee community they represent.

The UN Refugee Agency estimated that over 117.3 million people were forcibly displaced as of late 2023.

The Olympic Refugee Team also competed at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, but Paris 2024 marked the first time a refugee athlete won a medal. That honour belongs to boxer Cindy Ngamba who claimed a bronze in the women’s 75kg. With the world spotlight on her, the Cameroon-born athlete spoke to bring more awareness to the struggles of refugees and to call for a more peaceful, inclusive society.

“I'm just one of millions all around the world,” Ngamba told Olympics.com.

“I hope that they can be inspired by what I achieved through striving and through all my hard work and my training over the years to get to the Olympic Games and win a medal. I just proved that through hard work and dedication and belief in yourself, you can achieve many things."

Paris 2024 celebrated another two refugee medallists within the month: Para taekwondo athlete Zakia Khudadadi who won bronze in the women’s K44 -47kg and Para athlete Guillaume Junior Atangana who won bronze in the men’s 400m T11.

“I am very happy to have this medal. It shows that the Paralympic Movement is galvanising for refugees and it is an honour for me. I wrote my name in history,” Cameroon-born Atangana said. “The message I have for all refugees in the world is to believe in yourself!”

The Paralympic Refugee Team made its third Games appearance in the French capital. Made up of eight athletes and two guide runners from six countries, the Paris 2024 delegation was the biggest yet.

Similar to Ngamba's milestone at the Olympics, Khudadadi and Atangana were the first refugee medallists at a Paralympic Games. Both dedicated their medals to “refugees around the world" – in particular, more than 18 million with disabilities who were forced to leave their homes.

“I hope this medal will make a difference for refugees in my country, Afghanistan, and for all the women and girls with disabilities who find it difficult to take up sport," she continued. "I hope that seeing this medal will make them want to carry on.”