Olympic Refuge Foundation

The history maker! 🤩 🥊 Today Cindy Ngamba secured the first ever medal for the Refugee Olympic Team. She won her quarter-final match against French athlete Davina Michel by unanimous decision. She will now compete for a place in the final on Thursday 8 Aug @ Roland Garros Stadium. The medal is decided, the question now is just - which colour? 🥉🥈🥇 #Forthe100million #olympicrefuge #thrivethroughsport Read more: https://lnkd.in/eah4MQX8

We extend our gratitude to Filippo Grandi for his commitment and presence with our team over the past week! 🙏 High Commissioner on Refugees and Vice Chair of our Board, Filippo Grandi was honoured with the Olympic Laurel 🏅during the 142nd IOC Session in Paris. This award, created by the IOC, recognizes outstanding individuals for their achievements in education, culture, development, and peace through sport. It was presented to Grandi during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024. With over 30 years of humanitarian work HC Grandi has been a crucial partner of the IOC since the inception of the Refugee Olympic Team.🏃♂️🏃♀️ Thank you, Filippo Grandi, for your organisation’s ongoing support and advocacy for refugee communities worldwide, championing the role of sport. Together, we’ll keep cheering for the IOC Refugee Olympic Team! 👏 #forthe100million #olympicrefuge #Paris2024 UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency

What a win! 🤩 🥊 Cindy got the first win for the Refugee Olympic Team (EOR) at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, as she came out victorious by split decision in the -75kg bout. 📣 Cheering for Cindy at the North Paris Arena was a group of participants of Terrains d'Avenir, an ORF programme in Paris and its region. The group made signs, held up banners and cheered loudly in support of the EOR boxing star. 🥹 Speaking after the competition, Chef de Mission Masomah ALI ZADA said: “It feels amazing to have witnessed Cindy win her first Olympic fight. She used all of her strength to succeed today, and we are very proud that she is representing our team. “It’s extra special that she did this in front of participants from the Terrains d’Avenir programme. It demonstrates why this team is so important." #OlympicRefuge #thrivethroughsport #Forthe100million Read more: https://lnkd.in/g8R55xqt

🎙️ What is the role of a coach in supporting refugee athletes?🎙️ The ORF Think Tank released the second episode of its podcast "Think Sport. Think Refuge." discussing the vital role of coaches in enhancing not only the performance but also the well-being of refugee athletes and young players. 🗣️ Leslie Snider, MD, MPH Snider, psychiatrist and humanitarian, discusses the SportCoach+ training  initiative, which equips coaches with the skills to support young people who have experienced trauma due to forced displacement. 🏅 Cyrille Tchatchet II OLY, refugee athlete and Welfare Officer for the Paris 2024 Refugee Olympic Team, shares his experiences and highlights the importance of mental health in and through sport. 🎧 Listen to the episode here: https://lnkd.in/dFyHsnGC 🔗 Discover more on SportCoach+: https://lnkd.in/d38uAQ-4 #olympicrefuge #Paris2024 #forthe100million

🎆 What a way to kick-off! Still recovering (and drying ourselves off) from yesterday’s excitement.   The day got going with a torch relay in the Olympic Village which included legends and friends such as our Board Member and member of the first ever Refugee Olympic Team Yiech pur Biel, our Chef de Mission Masomah ALI ZADA as well as one the certified stars of the opening ceremony UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.   The opening ceremony then started in style with the third iteration of Refugee Olympic Team sailing down the river Seine to loud cheers of support from around the world.   Finishing with a touching moment in recognition of our Co-Chair’s commitment to supporting refugees through sport, as Filippo Grandi was presented with the Olympic Laurel. Competition is already hotting up with three refugee athletes in action as Amir Ansari took to the time trial, Amir Rezanejad to the white waters, and Edilio Centeno Nieves focused his shot on the target in sport-shooting.  A beautiful, emotional start to an Olympic Games that promise so much. 💚 📸 Photos: IOC Media / Greg Martin & david burnett UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency

🎉 1 Day to go until the Opening Ceremony! 🎉 We couldn't be more excited and proud of our team! 🌟 Let us share why the IOC Refugee Olympic Team is a big deal: 🏃♀️ 37 athletes competing in 12 sports – the largest Refugee Olympic Team ever! 👩✈️ Masomah ALI ZADA became the first refugee Chef de Mission of the team, leading the way with grace. 🌍 Represents over 120 million displaced people worldwide. ✨ Their participation is a powerful symbol of inclusion, peace, and belonging. Join us, and let's cheer them on in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games! #Paris2024 #olympicrefuge #forthe100million

Cindy Ngamba 🥊and Yahya Al-Ghotany 🥋 will be the flagbearers for the Refugee Olympic Team at the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony! 🎉 Cindy, a three-time English national champion boxer living in the UK, and Yahya, a taekwondo athlete training in Jordan, will represent people affected by displacement worldwide. 🥊 Cindy shared her hopes: "It’s an honour for me to represent this special team and carry the flag for the millions of us around the world. My biggest hope is that, at this year’s Olympic Games, we can make people stand up and pay attention. Show them what refugees are capable of because we have some big ambitions.” 🏅 🥋 Yahya added: “It means a lot to me to carry this special flag for this unique team. At the Opening Ceremony, I will be thinking about everyone that has helped me on my journey – my friends, my family – but also the more than 100 million people around the world, who, just like me, have had to flee their homes. I represent all of them." With 37 athletes competing in 12 sports, the Refugee Olympic Team for Paris 2024 is the largest yet and is a powerful symbol of hope and resilience for displaced people globally. Join us in cheering for the Refugee Olympic Team! 🌏 Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dgMWh3dv #olympicrefuge #Paris2024 #forthe100million

🌟 The Olympic Games is just around the corner! 🌟  Where will you be watching the Refugee Olympic Team from? 🌍 🔗Read more about the Refugee Olympic Team here: https://lnkd.in/dkBqh_qy #olympicrefuge #Paris2024 #forthe100million

🕊️ Olympic athletes call for peace from the Olympic Village! 🌍 Today, Olympic athletes representing 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team made a powerful call for peace. Gathering four days before the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, athletes from NOCs, including whose countries are currently in conflict or war with each other, wore scarfs with the message “Give peace a chance”. 🕊️ The event saw the inauguration of the Paris 2024 Olympic Truce mural - an ancient Greek symbol that allowed safe participation of athletes in Olympic Games, and today a powerful symbol demonstrating the role sports can play to foster peace. IOC President Thomas Bach praised the athletes as the “peace ambassadors of our time” and urged them to spread the message worldwide. Masomah ALI ZADA, Chef de Mission for the IOC Refugee Olympic Team, emphasized the importance of peace from the perspective of those displaced due to conflict. “This team knows only too well the importance of peace. 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.” She continued: “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.” 🌐🕊️ Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dxdd5bWm #OlympicTruce #Paris2024 #thrivethroughsport

🎙️ First episode of the ORF Think Tank Podcast: Think Sport. Think Refuge is out! The podcast series kicks off with a conversation featuring Rose Lokonyen, refugee athlete and flagbearer for the Refugee Olympic Team in Rio 2016, alongside ORF Think Tank member Associate Professor Simon Rosenbaum. This episode, hosted by ORF Think Tank co-chair Alastair Ager, discusses the vital role that sport can play in the lives of refugees, from elite training to grassroots initiatives. 🎧 Listen to the Podcast: https://lnkd.in/dDXfctnM 📄 Explore the evidence shared by Simon: https://lnkd.in/dDXfctnM #ThinkSportThinkRefuge #olympicrefuge #thrivethroughsport