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What is 'EOR' at the Olympics as Paris games feature team for only the third ever time

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Published 08:53 1 Aug 2024 GMT+1

What is 'EOR' at the Olympics as Paris games feature team for only the third ever time

The team was only introduced in 2016.

Alex Brotherton

Alex Brotherton

The Olympic Games sees nations from across the world come together to compete, but there is one team you might not have heard of.

Last week thousands of athletes were paraded down the River Seine in barges as part of the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Every nation was represented, ranging from the United States' 594 athletes to the one representing Belize.

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Eagle-eyed viewers will have noticed a group of 37 sportspeople standing under an unusual flag representing EOR.

But what is EOR?

The acronym stands for Equipe Olympique des Réfugiés, which in English is the Refugee Olympic Team.

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Millions of people around the world have been displaced and are unable to return to their country of origin due to fear of persecution, conflict, violence and other factors. Many athletes are among them.

In recognition of this, a team for refugees was introduced for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro and was present at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2024 Paris Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach announced its creation before the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in October 2015.

"The IOC Refugee Olympic Team sends a great signal about what an enrichment refugees are for our Olympic community and for society at large," Bach said.

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"Watching them compete is a great moment for all of us, and we hope everyone will join. The athletes are welcome in our Olympic community, among their fellow athletes — competing with them, but also living with them together under one roof."

Ten athletes competed for the refugee team in 2016, with that number increasing for the Tokyo Games five years later.

The 37 refugee team athletes in Paris represent 15 national Olympic committees and are competing in 12 different sports.

In March 2021, the IOC announced that there will also be a refugee team at the 2026 Summer Youth Olympics in Dakar, Senegal.

Featured Image Credit: Getty

Topics: Olympics, Athletics

Alex Brotherton
Alex Brotherton

Alex Brotherton is a journalist at SPORTbible. He has previously worked with publications including the Manchester Evening News, GOAL and BBC Sport. He is a football fanatic, but also dabbles in tennis and American football. He can often be found watching dreadful non-league football.

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@alex_brotherton

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