The Refugee Team for the Paris Olympics has been announced, consisting of 36 athletes from 11 countries competing in 12 different sports. International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach shared that the team was selected from over 70 scholarships. Instead of competing under the Olympic flag, the refugee team will have its own emblem featuring a heart at its center surrounded by arrows. The team will be known as EOR, which stands for Équipe Olympique des Réfugiés in French.
Masomah Ali Zada from Afghanistan, the team’s chef de mission, expressed the importance of having their own emblem as it creates a sense of belonging for the athletes. The Refugee Team will compete in a variety of sports including athletics, badminton, boxing, breaking, canoeing, cycling, judo, shooting, swimming, taekwondo, weightlifting, and wrestling. The Paris Olympics are set to begin on July 24th.
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