LAUSANNE, Switzerland (May 2, 2024) - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today confirmed that five Taekwondo athletes will compete for the Refugee Olympic Team at the upcoming Olympic Games Paris 2024.
The team will comprise 36 athletes from 11 different countries and 12 different sports. With five athletes, Taekwondo is the third most represented sport in the team. The addition of five refugee athletes will result in the largest number of Taekwondo athletes ever at an Olympic Games with more than 130 due to compete in Paris.
The five athletes are:
□ Yahya Al Ghotany (M-68kg)
- Based in the Azraq Refugee Camp, Yahya fled Syria and started Taekwondo when he joined the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) programme
□ Farzad Mansouri (M-80kg)
- Mansouri left Afghanistan and competes in Great Britain with the national team
□ Kasra Mehdipournejad (M+80kg)
- Mehdipournejad fled Iran and now lives and trains in Germany
□ Dina Pouryounes Langeroudi (W-49kg)
- Langeroudi fled Iran in 2015 and now trains in The Netherlands. She competed for the Refugee Olympic Team at Tokyo 2020.
□ Hadi Tiranvalipour (M-58kg)
- Tiranvalipour was forced to leave Iran in 2022 and became a refugee in Italy where he trains with the national Italian Taekwondo team in Rome
Speaking at the ceremony, Mehdipournejad said:
“I am so happy, thank you for this amazing opportunity. I could not be in the Tokyo Olympics but now my Olympic dream is coming true and I will do my best in the Paris Olympics. But without the support of the IOC it would not be possible. I appreciate it and see you all in Paris!”
World Taekwondo President, Chair of the THF and Olympic Refuge Foundation Board member Chungwon Choue said: “We are extremely proud of the Taekwondo refugee athletes who have been selected for the Refugee Olympic Team Paris 2024 as well as all those athletes who will not be in Paris but continue to inspire us every day. At World Taekwondo we believe strongly in empowering refugees through sport. The Refugee Olympic Team will not only inspire with their incredible sporting talent at Paris 2024 but will also build awareness of the global refugee crisis.”
For the full list of IOC Refugee Olympic Team for Paris 2024, please click here
