The Paris Olympics will see the participation of a Refugee Team, consisting of 36 athletes from 11 countries. This team was chosen from over 70 scholarships and will compete in 12 different sports. Instead of competing under the Olympic flag, the refugees will have their own emblem featuring a heart surrounded by arrows representing how lost refugees can find their way back.
The team chef de mission, Masomah Ali Zada from Afghanistan, spoke about the importance of having their own emblem, creating a sense of belonging and empowerment for the more than 100 million people who share a similar experience. She expressed her excitement in proudly wearing it.
A total of 23 men and 13 women will compete in athletics, badminton, boxing, breaking, canoeing, cycling, judo, shooting, swimming, taekwondo, weightlifting and wrestling when the Games begin on July 24th. Notable athletes include boxer Cindy Ngamba and Ethiopian runner Farida Abaroge among the women and Kasra Mehdipournejad from Iran in taekwondo and Edilio Francisco Centeno Nieves from Venezuela in shooting among the men.
Mehdipournejad expressed his excitement for his Olympic dream coming true. However on Tuesday a third runner on the team was suspended for a positive doping test. The refugee team was initially created by the IOC for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro to provide asylum for athletes who have been forced to leave their home countries. In Rio there were ten athletes on the team with Syrian swimmer Yusra Mardini becoming
