As viewers continue to tune in to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, athletes from around the world are relishing the opportunity to showcase their talents in front of a global audience.
Though the vast majority of competing athletes are doing so while representing their country, that isn't the case for every athlete you see at the Paris Games.
Athletes from various countries are competing under "EOR," an acronym of Équipe olympique des réfugiés in French.
Refugee Olympic teams began at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, with refugee athletes competing at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo as well.
While this is the third consecutive Summer Olympics that a refugee team has been present at, refugee athletes have yet to compete at the Winter Olympics.
Athletes from the following countries are competing at the Summer Olympics under the "EOR" banner:
- Afghanistan
- Cameroon
- Cuba
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Iran
- Republic of Congo
- Sudan
- South Sudan
- Syria
- Venezuela
In the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics, athletes from the following additional countries competed as part of a Refugee Olympic team:
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Iraq
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Though no refugee athlete won a medal at the Rio or Tokyo Games, boxer Cindy Ngamba has become the first refugee athlete to clinch a medal, securing a bout in the semifinal with a victory on Sunday. Ngamba will compete in the semifinal on Thursday.
The 37 athletes competing under the "EOR" banner marks the largest refugee team in Olympics history thus far, continuing a steady increase from 10 athletes at the Rio Games and 29 athletes at the Tokyo Games.
