Statelessness, Spirit, and Strength at the Olympic Games
At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, one resilient team will proudly represent the world’s 100 million displaced people…
This is the introduction to July’s edition of the Off-Field newsletter, curating monthly tales from the fringes of sport and society. Read it here.
Over the next 17 days, 10,500 athletes will compete in 329 events as the 2024 Olympics officially commences today with a spectacular opening ceremony in Paris.
After spending four hours waving at crowds while moseying on down the river Seine, most of those athletes will head to bed dreaming of standing on a podium with a glittering hunk of metal around their neck, fighting tears as they listen to the opening bars of their national anthem.
But, for 36 of them, their anthem will not be heard regardless of their success. They are the members of the IOC’s refugee squad, made up of nationless athletes who’ve been forced to flee their homes to start a new life elsewhere.
After making its debut in Rio, this will be the team’s third appearance at the Games. Back in 2016, there were close to 60 million displaced people globally. On the eve of Paris 2024, that number has soared to over 100 million. That’s around 1 in 70 people living on our planet. Putting them all in one place would create the 14th most populous country in the world — and that population is increasing.
Especially in a year typified by highly emotive elections all over the world, there is a tendency to distil the topic of refugees and immigration to faceless numbers and dispassionate data. But each statistic has a human story behind it, and you’ll be able to read and listen to some of those in this month’s Off-Field newsletter.
When you see the refugees competing in Paris, you’ll see them at their physical peak as elite athletes. But the reason they’re a symbol of hope for refugees worldwide is because of what they’ve gone through to get there.
There are athletes fleeing war in Syria, some who’ve escaped the tyranny of the Taliban in Afghanistan, political exiles from Venezuela and Cuba, and others who’ve had no choice but to leave repressive regimes that threaten their human rights. They’ve found new homes all over the world, with nations including Germany, the Netherlands, France, Sweden, Jordan, Pakistan, Spain, Kenya, and Israel among those offering a safe haven.
Several of the team now proudly call the UK their home. Ramiro Mora is a Cuban weightlifter who originally arrived in the country as part of the Blackpool circus troupe and who now holds three British weightlifting records.
Taekwondo practitioner Farzad Mansouri was Afghanistan’s flag bearer at the Olympics three years ago, but made his way to the UK following the fall of Kabul in September 2021.
Guillaume Junior Atangana and his guide Donard Ndim Nyamjua will compete as British-based refugees in the 100m and 400m T11 events at the Paralympics after having previously represented Cameroon at Tokyo in 2021.
Cindy Ngamba is a Bolton-based Cameroonian who, as a gay woman, is unable to return home due to her sexuality remaining a criminal offence. Given her success in British boxing rings, there are genuine hopes she’ll become the first refugee to win an Olympic medal.
And then there are two athletes from Iran who I had the great pleasure of speaking to for a new episode of Unsung. Matin Balsini and Dorsa Yavarivafa both hail from Iran and, given that almost half of this year’s Olympic refugees come from the Islamic Republic, it offers some indication as to just how bad the situation is for Iranian athletes.
Both had different reasons for leaving their country, but what they have in common is the turmoil and heartache they endured leaving their friends and family behind, and the passion for their respective sports that helped get them through adversity. They may not win any medals, but their stories must be heard.
Over the next fortnight, the Olympic refugee team will remind us of the resilience, courage, and hopes of all those uprooted by war and persecution. They’ll be cheered on by millions: not just their fellow refugees, but many others who appreciate what they’ve been through. Best of luck to all of them in Paris.
In celebration of the sporting extravaganza we’re about to enjoy, this month’s newsletter is brimming with stories from the Olympics. As usual, we’ve dug out those that offer an alternative perspective. Enjoy the selection.
This is an excerpt from the Off-Field newsletter. Subscribe, for free, here
