Paris 2024: IOC Refugee Olympic Team welcomed in Bayeux, Calvados (FRA)

The IOC Refugee Olympic Team, made up of athletes, coaches and operational staff, arrived in France and gathered in Bayeux (Calvados), Normandy, for a welcome event organised by the towns of Bayeux and Caen, according to the International Olympic Committee on 18/07/2024.

The team is made up of 37 athletes from a variety of backgrounds, living in 15 countries and competing in 12 different sports.

"We are so pleased to have finally arrived in France, as a team, to prepare for the Olympic Games. The town of Bayeux has welcomed us with open arms, and it is the perfect setting for us to connect, and build team spirit and unity," said Masomah Ali Zada, an Afghan refugee cyclist in France and head of mission for the Refugee Olympic Team.

"With just a few days to go before the official launch of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, we are delighted to host the Refugee Olympic Team. For these athletes, who cannot compete under their own country’s flag, and who are meeting each other for the first time here in Bayeux, we hope to offer them the best possible conditions to begin their preparation and…