Building on the success of Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, the IOC (International Olympic Committee) decided in March 2021 that there will be an IOC Refugee Olympic Team Paris 2024 and Dakar 2026. At the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in October 2015, confronted with the global refugee crisis that has seen millions of people in the world displaced, IOC President Thomas Bach announced the creation of the Refugee Olympic Team – the first of its kind – to take part in the Olympic Games Rio 2016.
For more information, visit the IOC Refugee Olympic Team page.
Refugee athletes want more of them to compete at the Olympics as migration takes global focus (“Refugee Athletes Want More of Them to Compete at the Olympics as Migration Takes Global Focus.” AP News, 29 July 2024, https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-paris-refugee-team-un-714a3fe3d5d5dc7d61dc4bba868506e1.)
What is the IOC refugee Olympic team and who is on it for the 2024 Games? (Smolinski, Paulina. What Is the IOC Refugee Olympic Team and Who Is on It for the 2024 Games? - CBS News. 26 July 2024, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/olympic-refugee-team-2024/.)
37 athletes represent this year's refugee Olympic team (Engrav, Charlotte. “How the Olympics Makes Room for Refugee Athletes and What It Means for Them to Compete.” NPR, 31 July 2024. NPR, https://www.npr.org/2024/07/30/nx-s1-5029638/37-athletes-represent-this-years-refugee-olympic-team.)