26 July 2024 - As the eyes of the world turn to Paris and the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games, the Refugee Olympic Team is sending a powerful message of hope to the hundreds of millions of people who will watch the Games over the next two weeks.
‘Make A Heart With Your Hands’ has become the way for fans of the team to show their support and cheer on the refugee athletes. It has been taken up by the athletes at the Olympics, encouraging everyone to open their hearts to refugees around the world.
Olympian Yusra Mardini, an original member of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team, and Michelle Yeoh, Oscar-winning Hollywood actor and IOC Member, appeared during the Opening Ceremony pre-show to rally the crowd and welcome the team, using the heart with hands symbol as they travelled along the six kilometre route of the ceremony.
The Refugee Olympic Team is competing for the third consecutive summer Games, and this is their largest team yet, with 37 athletes from 15 different countries taking part in 12 sports. The team represents more than 100 million displaced people across the globe.
Yahya Al Ghotany (Taekwondo) and Cindy Ngamba (Boxing) have been given the honour of being the flag bearers at the Opening Ceremony.
Al Ghotany, originally from Syria and now living in Jordan, believes his journey to Paris sends a message of strength and perseverance.
He said: “I hope my message to the participants will give them optimism and hope. They should think that it is possible to be at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games among the people watching the ceremony or even be part of the team. They should find a way and work hard to get here. It's very natural and easy, but the important thing is not to lose hope or dreams.”
Ngamba, who is widely tipped for a medal in Women’s Boxing -75kg, hopes to inspire displaced people around the world.
She said: “The hard times will never last, there will be a light at the end of the tunnel. Even though it might not feel like nothing ever changes, there will always be changes, and I believe that through keeping your head down, doing what you can, keep on pushing, keep on striving and believing in yourself. My coach has always had this thing about believing in yourself, at the end of the day you're the one that will do everything, you’re the one that
goes through the obstacles, so I want people out there to believe in themselves and keep pushing hard.”
The athletes have been together in the Olympic Village after initially gathering in the historic town of Bayeux, Normandy for a pre-Games welcome training camp. Now it’s time to compete against the best in the world. Yusra Mardini represented the team in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. The story of her swimming for three hours to keep a sinking boat afloat on her journey from Syria to Germany has been turned into a feature film. Now she says it’s time for the Paris 2024 Olympic Refugee Team to write their own inspiring stories.
She said: “This team is sending an incredible message of hope to everyone around the world. And that is why it is so important to support them, watch them and go cheer for them when they're competing. Some of them are competing for medals so be there, have an open heart and open mind and just share your heart.”
IOC Member Michelle Yeoh has paid tribute to these athletes. She said: “What I truly appreciate is the privilege of advocating and celebrating these extraordinary talents and witnessing Global Unity as we all come together to cheer them on that is in the true Spirit of the Olympics.“
The Refugee Olympic Team and the Refugee Athlete Support programme are both managed by the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF), allowing elite level athletes who would otherwise not have an opportunity, to compete on the world’s biggest sporting stage, the Olympic Games.
The Olympic Games Paris 2024 continue until August 11. The Paralympic Games Paris 2024 take place from August 28 to September 8.
*The song featured in the campaign film is an original song entitled “All It Took” written and performed by Che Lingo and Manon Dave. The song was inspired by the Refugee Olympic Team.
