Olympic Refuge Foundation

“The most rewarding part of working with refugees is the exchange… You might have moments you are also overwhelmed (...) but it makes me understand the world better.”   Sven, the coach of Yusra Mardini, who was part of the first Refugee Olympic Team, speaks about the benefits and challenges of working with refugees and how the Sport Coach+ initiative equipped him with the tools to navigate these challenges.   Ahead of World Mental Health Day, we are proud to collaborate with Red Cross Red Crescent Movement MHPSS Hub on Sport Coach+ to equip coaches with the knowledge, skills, and practical strategies to create supportive environments for young people affected by adversity.

Four new initiatives working with displaced communities will be supported by the ORF! The initiatives promote gender diversity and inclusion through sport, and mobilise sport for those affected by climate disruption. 🥋 Ubuntu for Her will support refugee women to become leaders through judo in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi. The programme is led by the Norges idrettsforbund, in collaboration with the Malawi Olympic Committee and Zimbabwe Olympic Committee, and implemented by the Judo Association of Zambia and Judo Association Of Malawi of Judo Association of Zimbabwe. 🏏 Cricket Changemakers will combine cricket participation with coach development and social action in Uganda and Rwanda, led by MCC Foundation and Cricket Without Boundaries. 🏀 Green Hoops will use basketball as an entry point for climate action in Zimbabwe, delivered by Tambai Zimbabwe and FIBA Foundation. ⚽ In Boa Vista, Brazil, KLABU, love.fútbol and the AVSI BRASIL will work alongside Indigenous community leaders to strengthen access to sport for women and girls living in the country's largest shelter. Each project is based on the belief that people with lived experience of crises should be at the centre of designing, leading and shaping solutions to those crises in their communities. The funding was made available through the Collaborative Action Grant and funded by the ORF on behalf of the Sport for Refugees Coalition (SfRC). Read more: https://lnkd.in/e5vkTjZn

Eliud Kipchoge is ready to “give back to the next generation” as Dakar 2026 Global Ambassador. Alongside his role as mentor to the Refugee Olympic Team for Dakar 2026, Kipchoge has now been announced as Global Ambassador for the Games – meaning he’ll be sharing his experience the next generation of athletes, who will compete at the first Olympic sporting event to be staged on the African continent. Speaking specifically on his role as a mentor to the Refugee Athletes, Kipchoge said:  “Mentoring the Refugee Team means a lot to me. I talked to them about the importance of having the right values in your life, your education and your sport – the real recipe for success, and what success means in sport and in life.” Kipchoge believes the Refugee Olympic Team’s participation at Dakar 2026 will provide its six young athletes with an important platform to demonstrate their abilities on an international stage.  “For them, sport is a real opportunity – it gives them a platform to showcase themselves and to fight for their space.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/eaahEvbQ

Five cities will receive funding to develop sport-based projects for displaced and host communities! 📌London, United Kingdom 📌Lviv, Ukraine 📌Maipú, Chile 📌Nouakchott, Mauritania 📌Toronto, Canada Each city will receive up to USD 500,000 from the Olympic Refuge Foundation, over two years, alongside tailored technical support from the Mayors Migration Council, to design and implement local projects that use sport and physical activity. The initiative comes as cities play an increasingly important role in supporting displaced people, nearly 80 per cent of whom live in urban areas. Cities can offer newly arrived people opportunities for inclusion. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eus6pHbm

Learning from the best!  Last week, the six athletes who will represent the Refugee Olympic Team (EOR) at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games gathered near Eldoret, Kenya – joined by one of their heroes, Eliud Kipchoge. Kipchoge, the Refugee Olympic Team’s official mentor and Kenyan Olympic champion, led the athletes through a mentoring session emphasising the importance of teamwork, what it takes to perform at the top level and, how to make the most of the opportunity to compete.  When he was asked for advice, he said: “To be disciplined. Being disciplined means knowing what you’re doing and having a goal and working towards your goal. Respect yourself first and then respect others. And lastly, remember that this world belongs to all of us.”   Read more: https://lnkd.in/dbt88VFT

Youth Refugee Olympic Team gathers for the first time in Kenya! 🇰🇪   Our athletes representing the Refugee Olympic Team at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games have come together for the first time in Kaptagat, near Eldoret, Kenya.   Training in the world-renowned training area, the athletes found an opportunity to build team spirit, have media training and meet some of their idols.   800m runner Clement, 16, who his teammates chose as team captain, said: “The training camp has given us a great experience, because when you have a partner, they can push you... And the friendships we have built here are great; we love each other.” He also spoke about his hopes for Dakar and beyond: “What I’m looking forward to in Dakar is winning a medal. (…) After winning that medal, I want to build a home for orphans where children can stay safe, where athletes can get nutrition. My heart tells me to do that.” Read more about the story here: https://lnkd.in/dbt88VFT

adidas will be the official kit supplier for the Refugee Olympic Team until the LA28 Olympic Games.   The Olympic Refuge Foundation and adidas have signed a multi-year agreement to equip the Refugee Olympic Team with performance apparel and teamwear for training and competition, beginning this year and extending through to the LA28 Olympic Games. adidas will also equip all athletes who are part of the Refugee Athlete Support programme.   The collaboration is rooted in a shared belief that sport can play a key role in supporting people affected by crisis, and a commitment to ensuring that every athlete has access to the best opportunities and support.   Read more: https://lnkd.in/eAzuAgiH

🤝 A partnership going back 30 years.   The IOC President hosted UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Barham Salih at Olympic House. The two discussed the decades-long relationship between the Olympic Movement and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the important role of sport in promoting self-reliance and dignity for refugees. The Refugee Olympic Team at the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026 will be the latest realisation of this ongoing collaboration.

Humanitarian crisis strips away your routines, security, community, livelihood, and foreseeable future.  The pieces of life that hold your sense of who you are and where you belong. For young people, it means growing up without the stability they need.  Sport can help restore what crisis takes away. It’s a space to regather and rebuild, piece by piece. Something to show up to. A pursuit to get lost in. A community where anyone can belong. On #WorldHumanitarianDay, we’re proud to work with organisations like Red Cross Red Crescent Movement MHPSS Hub and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, who create the conditions for sport to help young people piece their lives back together, wherever they are on their journey toward stability. 📷 Credit: UNHCR/Shawkat Alharfoush 

“Remember that people are more than their stories.” Lived experience has become an increasingly used term, but it can risk being another box-ticking exercise. For organisations working with displaced young people, lived experience is critical to understanding how sport programmes can take into account the realities of young people’s lives. As the ORF Think Tank recruits its first Lived Experience Fellow, we spoke to Grace Gatera, a Think Tank member, about what lived experience really means and how organisations can move beyond tokenism towards meaningful participation. Read the interview: https://lnkd.in/eZqAyUSU Interested in the Fellowship? Find out more and apply: https://lnkd.in/e4h4mrzc