UN Refugee Team Wins First Medal at Paris Olympics

When the 16-day Paris Olympics came to a glittering end Sunday, the spotlight was mostly on the two biggest medal winners: the United States with a tally of 126 medals, including 40 gold medals, followed by China with a total of 91, also including 40 gold.

Developing nations were left far, far behind: the top five being Brazil ranking 13th with 20 medals, Iran ranking 17th with 12 medals, Kenya ranking 20th with 11 medals, Cuba ranking 25th with nine medals and Jamaica ranking 38th with six medals.

Still, the team of 37 refugees, under the guidance of the UN Refugees Agency, known as the UNHCR, made its way to Paris and earned the first-ever medal for a Refugee Olympic Team athlete.

As the Games came to a close, UNHCR paid tribute to the Refugee Olympic Team for the historic achievements. “This year’s Olympic Games marked a significant triumph for refugees worldwide”.

The 37 athletes competed in 12 sports, making it the largest refugee team since the International Olympic Committee (IOC) created the first refugee team at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

These athletes, representing 120 million displaced people globally, showcased their talents, strength and determination on the world stage, bringing attention to the plight and potential of refugees.

The 120 million refugees, if they were representing a nation, would compare in size to Japan (about 127 million) or Mexico (about 128 million).

The highlight of the Games was Cindy Ngamba’s historic bronze medal win in boxing at Roland-Garros toward the end of the competition. Ngamba’s victory, marked by her proud display of the EOR logo on her vest and a roaring crowd chanting her name, was a monumental achievement for the Refugee Olympic Team, according to UNHCR.

In the men’s 5,000 meters, Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu, originally from South Sudan, narrowly missed the bronze medal at Stade de France, finishing fourth by a fraction of a second. In the same stadium on the same night, Perina Lokure Nakang (women’s 800 meters) and Jamal Abdelmaji (men’s 10,000 meters) each achieved personal bests.

“These performances for the record-breaking Refugee Olympic Team are more than just numbers and positions,” said Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees Kelly T. Clements, who watched the team compete in Paris.

“Ngamba is a history maker, and this medal is a testament to her courage and strength inside and outside of the ring. It symbolizes the enduring spirit of refugees and the power of sports to unite and inspire. As the Games draw to a close, let us all remember this team as a symbol of hope and unity.”

The warm welcome given to the refugee athletes by the public, whether in the venues, the fan zones around Paris or the loud cheering as the team made its way along the Seine during the opening ceremony, showed the widespread support they received.

“Sport is a powerful tool that protects and helps heal. These refugee athletes have overcome immense challenges, but their success is a reminder to the world of what can be achieved when refugees are given a helping hand to pursue their dreams,” Clements said. “As the Olympic flame is extinguished here in Paris, the legacy of the Refugee Olympic Team will continue to inspire us all.”

Attention will now turn to the Refugee Paralympic Team, comprising eight athletes and one guide runner, which will aim for more medals when the Paralympic Games begin on Aug. 28.

According to UNHCR, at least 120 million people around the world have been forced to flee their homes. Among them are nearly 43.4 million refugees, around 40 percent of whom are under the age of 18.

There are also millions of stateless people, who have been denied a nationality and lack access to basic rights such as education, health care, employment and freedom of movement.

“At a time when more than 1 in every 69 people on Earth has been forced to flee, our work at UNHCR is more important than ever.”

The UNHCR is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions, with 80 percent from governments and the European Union. Four percent comes from other inter-governmental organizations and pooled funding mechanisms, while a further 15 percent is from the private sector, including foundations, corporations and the public.

Additionally, it receives a limited subsidy (one percent) from the U.N. budget for administrative costs, and accept in-kind contributions, including items such as tents, medicines and trucks.

UNHCR says it was launched on a shoestring annual budget of $300,000 in 1950. But as its work and size have grown, so too have the costs.

The annual budget rose to more than $1 billion in the early 1990s and reached $10.929 billion in 2023.

“Our yearly budget supports continuing operations and supplementary programs to cover emergencies, such as the conflict in Ukraine, the Sudan crisis and the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, as well as large-scale repatriation operations.”