Some fled war. Others escaped persecution. They speak a variety of languages and hail from 11 countries. These 36 disciplined athletes will compete in 12 sports. They are the Refugee Olympic Team.
The first Refugee Olympic Team formed for the Rio Olympics in 2016. Athletes competed under the same flag and called attention to the plight of refugees worldwide. In Paris, the refugee athletes will take the stage at a time of record global migration.
Meet three of these resilient athletes.
Fernando Dayán Jorge, Cuban, canoeing
Fernando Dayán Jorge began canoeing with his father when he was 11. He spent his childhood zipping past fishing boats in the bay next to his home in Cienfuegos, Cuba. He competed for Cuba’s national team in the 2016 and 2020 Olympics. He won a gold medal in Tokyo for the 1,000-meter canoe sprint.
In 2022, Jorge defected from Cuba. He crossed into the United States through Mexico and the Rio Grande. He was granted refugee status and arrived in Florida. He rose before sunrise to train, then worked eight hours in a maintenance job to pay bills. He had to open a GoFundMe page in June to help pay his way to the Olympic Games.
The 25-year-old encourages others in his position. “I want to tell them to not give up,” he says. “No matter how dark the days become, the sun is always going to rise.”
Manizha Talash, Afghan, breakdancing
Manizha Talash first discovered breaking (short for breakdancing) at age 17. She saw a social media video of a man spinning on his head and thought it was generated by AI. She soon became obsessed with the sport. She found a club in Kabul, Afghanistan, where she could train.
“There were 55 boys, and I was the only girl,” she says. “I told myself, why can’t a girl do this?”
International news outlets published stories about the young Afghan woman defying cultural and religious norms. The club began receiving threats. One day when a bomb hit very close, police asked the club to shut down.
Talash kept training in her home until the Taliban returned to power in 2021. She was among hundreds of Afghans who fled to Spain on military planes.
The 21-year-old now trains on the outskirts of Madrid. At first, the Olympic Games seemed completely out of reach. “But when my friend told me I could join the refugee team, I was so happy,” Talash says.
Iman Mahdavi, Iranian, wrestling
Iman Mahdavi dishes up Iranian food for himself at his home in Milan, Italy. “If my mum could see me now,” he says with a laugh.
Mahdavi hasn’t seen his mother since he fled his home country in 2020. With only the clothes he was wearing, Mahdavi journeyed by foot from Iran to Turkey. Then he flew to Italy and applied for asylum.
Mahdavi gained a passion for wrestling from his father. As a young man, Mahdavi was a seven-time national junior champion and won more than 50 medals.
An Instagram friend introduced Mahdavi to a gym in Milan. People instantly recognized him as an “extraordinary athlete.”
The gym has become like family—so much so that Mahdavi calls his coach “Papi.”
Mahdavi works nights, from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. Then he goes home to sleep a bit before he trains. His hunger to excel drives him. “I hope to come back from the Olympics with the best colored medal I can get.”
Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. — 1 Corinthians 9:25
