Refugee status should never be a barrier to people fulfilling their sporting potential.

To make this a reality, we work alongside Olympic Solidarity which ensures that the Olympic dream is a goal everyone can aim for. Together we focus on refugees but Olympic Solidarity also provides assistance to thousands of athletes globally who are in need of help due to inequalities in access to sport.

Through the Refugee Athletes Support programme, we make sure National Olympic Committees - the committees who prepare national teams for the Olympic Games – have the opportunity to support refugee athletes living in their host countries.

The IOC Refugee Olympic Team represented more than 100 million forcibly displaced people worldwide. Made up of 37 athletes, hosted by 15 National Olympic Committees and competing across 12 sports, the team demonstrated to the world that refugees are an enrichment to the society.

The team was led by the Chef de Mission, Masomah Ali Zada; herself a member of the Refugee Olympic Team Tokyo 2020. The majority of athletes on the team were supported through the Refugee Athlete Scholarship Programme, which is managed by the ORF and funded by Olympic Solidarity. The IOC Executive Board (EB) selected the Refugee Olympic Team for Paris 2024. To be eligible, athletes needed to be elite competitors in their respective sport and be refugees in their host country, recognised by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Balanced representation in terms of sport, gender and regions were also be taken into consideration.

The Refugee Olympic Team's participation in the Olympic Games was not only a testament to their resilience and excellence but also sent a powerful message of hope, belonging, and inclusion.