Refugee athletes will be allowed to compete at 2016 Rio Olympic Games

Refugees with ties to no particular country will be able to compete at Rio 2016 under the International Olympic Committee (IOC) flag, President Thomas Bach announced at United Nations General Assembly in New York City.

The IOC have made demonstrating the power of sport's role in social change a priority since Bach assumed the Presidency in 2013, and last month unveiled an emergency fund of $2 million for National Olympic Committees to fund programmes aimed at helping and supporting refugees.

“The Olympic Games are the time when the values of tolerance, solidarity and peace are brought to life, this is the time when the international community comes together for peaceful competition.

“In the Olympic Village we see tolerance and solidarity in their purest form. Athletes from all 206 National Olympic Committees live together in harmony and without any kind of discrimination.

“At present none of these athletes would have the chance to participate in the Olympic Games even if qualified from the sports point of view because, with their refugee status, they are left without a home country and National Olympic Committee to represent.

“Having no national team to belong to, having no flag to march behind, having no national anthem to be played, these refugee athletes will be welcomed to the Olympic Games with the Olympic flag and with the Olympic anthem.

“They will have a home together with all the other 11,000 athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees in the Olympic Village.”