Refugee Team at the Paralympic Games
The Refugee Paralympic Team provides an opportunity for displaced athletes to compete on the global stage, representing the millions of displaced people worldwide. It promotes inclusivity, recognizing the resilience and talent of individuals who have faced extraordinary challenges.
By participating in the Paralympic Games under the Refugee Olympic Team banner, these athletes not only compete at the highest level but also serve as symbols of hope, resilience, and the human spirit, bringing attention to the global refugee crisis and advocating for solidarity and support for displaced communities worldwide.
The Paris 2024 Refugee Paralympic Team
At the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, there was a Refugee Paralympic Team for the third time. The team comprised eight athletes and one support runner, the largest ever Refugee Paralympic Team.
In 2024, the team won its first Paralympic medals:
- Zakia Khudadadi - third in Women's 47 kg Taekwondo.
- Guillaume Junior Atangana - third in the Men's T11 400m.
The Tokyo 2021 Refugee Paralympic Team
At the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021, there were over 4000 athletes from 98 countries represented, including a team of six refugees, competing as the Refugee Paralympic Team (RPT) under the IPC flag. The team was the first to enter the Japan National Stadium for the Opening Ceremony. The team included one woman and five men competing in four different sports.
- Ibrahim Al Hussein a swimmer from Syria, who is now based in Greece.
- Abbas Karimi a swimmer from Afghanistan, who is based in Fort Lauderdale in the United States.
- Alia Issa, a Syrian in Greece, who will participate in the club throw athletics event.
- Shahrad Nasajpour, a refugee from Iran and who is now living in Phoenix in the US, who will participate in the discus throw.
- Anas Al Khalifa, a Syrian refugee living in Germany, who will compete in canoe.
- Parfait Hakizimana, a Burundian refugee living in the Mahama Refugee Camp in Rwanda, competing in taekwondo.
The Rio 2016 Refugee Paralympic Team
At the Rio 2016 Paralympics, a two-person team of refugee and asylum-seeking athletes formed the Independent Paralympic Athletes Team, featuring Al Hussein and Nasajpour who also represented the RPT at Tokyo 2020.
Related Pages
- Refugee Team at the Summer Olympics
- Countries participating at the Paralympic Games
- Paralympics host cities
- Other major world sporting events
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