10 new refugee athletes get scholarships ahead of Paris Olympics

The athletes are from 12 countries, live in 23 host countries, and represent 13 sports.

The new athletes are:

• Amir Ansari (cycling, Afghanistan, host NOC: Sweden)
• Edilio Francisco Centeno Nieves (shooting, Venezuela, host NOC: Mexico)
• Hadi Tiranvalipour (taekwondo, Iran, host NOC: Italy)
• Mahdia Sharifi (taekwondo, Afghanistan, host NOC: Italy)
• Marialejandra Coromoto Centeno Nieves (shooting, Venezuela, host NOC: Mexico)
• Mohammad Rashnonezhad (judo, Iran, host NOC: Netherlands)
• Omar Hassan Omar (athletics, Ethiopia, host NOC: Denmark)
• Omid Ahmadisafa (boxing, Iran, host NOC: Germany)
• Robert Gabriel Mujica Silva (taekwondo, Venezuela, host NOC: Peru)
• Roima Indonesia Mujica Silva (taekwondo, Venezuela, host NOC: Peru)

They will join the existing scholarship-holders.

The Refugee Athlete Support programme is managed by the ORF and funded by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through its Olympic Solidarity programme.

The programme provides the athletes with financial support for training and competition in the lead-up to the Olympic Games Paris 2024, with the ultimate aim of being selected for the IOC Refugee Olympic Team.

Supporting refugees and displaced populations remains a key priority for the IOC, and is part of Recommendation 11 of Olympic Agenda 2020+5.

The global refugee crisis continues to be a pressing and urgent issue, with more than 100 million people worldwide currently displaced from their homes.

Source & main image: IOC