The Paris Olympics will see the return of the Refugee Team, consisting of 36 athletes from 11 countries participating in 12 different sports. These athletes were selected from over 70 scholarships, as announced by International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach on Thursday. Instead of competing under the Olympic flag, the team will have its own emblem featuring a heart surrounded by arrows, symbolizing how lost refugees can find their way back. The team will be known as EOR, short for Équipe Olympique des Réfugiés.
The team’s chef de mission, Masomah Ali Zada of Afghanistan, expressed the significance of having their own emblem, creating a sense of belonging and representing the over 100 million individuals who share their experiences. The team aims to stand proudly for these individuals at the upcoming Olympics, starting on July 24th. A total of 23 men and 13 women will be competing in various sports including athletics, badminton, boxing, breaking, canoeing, cycling, judo, shooting, swimming, taekwondo
