Across the world, there are millions of aspiring athletes dreaming of one day representing their nation at an Olympic Games.
For some, the barriers in place are simply too large to overcome. And so, the Refugee Olympic Team was formed.
Boxing's Cindy Ngamba made history by becoming the first Refugee Olympic Team member to win a medal at Paris 2024, clinching women's +75kg bronze.
Ngamba was one of five athletes from the Paris 2024 Refugee Olympic Team that live and train in Britain and are supported by the relevant sporting governing bodies.
The International Olympic Committee has today announced the refugees who will receive Olympic Solidarity Scholarships on their journey to reach LA28, with a number of athletes based in Great Britain and Northern Ireland making the list.
Let's meet the people who have overcome many hurdles to try to achieve their sporting dreams.
Athletics
A total of six track athletes have been named on the IOC Olympic Solidarity funding pathway.
Aron Gebremariam, Kadar Omar and Omar Ahmed all train at Birchfield Harriers in Birmingham, a club known for producing some of British Athletics’ most successful athletes and describe themselves as brothers on the track.
Ahmed made headlines in 2021 after winning the Bristol half marathon in 63 minutes, but it was the fact that the athlete was not even entered for the race which made it all the more impressive.
The Ethiopian-born runner set off on the 10km route before taking the wrong turning and accidentally winning the half-marathon distance.
Two of the athletes who train alongside British Athletics’ counterparts are hoping for selection to the World Athletics Refugee Team for the upcoming Championships in Tokyo. Sefyu Jamaal Tahi, Seyd Tahi Ghafari both have that target in their sights, while Eritrea-born Brhane Gebrebrhan is also on the list.
Badminton
Paris 2024 Olympian Dorsa Yavarivafa taught herself English watching Netflix.
Yavarivafa was a promising youth player in her home country of Iran but had to put the racket to one side while she and her mother fled across the globe in search of sanctuary, settling in Birmingham.
Finding a new and inventive way to learn the language, Yavari credits the TV as her primary resource and eventually returned to the court, making the Refugee Olympic Team for her first Olympic Games in Paris.
But it was her appearance at Badminton England's Middlesex Senior Gold event that she marks as the most emotional moment in her badminton journey, with her father finally able to come and watch her play the sport she loves.
“My dad was there and he had never seen me play before,” she told Badminton England.
“In Iran, it’s not allowed for people to see women play, so it was such a great experience.
“We got emotional after the match and he was so proud of me."
Boxing
Cindy Ngamba made history at Paris 2024, winning women's +75kg Olympic bronze in the ring.
The Cameroon-born athlete trained alongside Team GB's own bronze medal winner Lewis Richardson at GB Boxing in Sheffield with the two stepping out at Champions Park together in Paris, in a wholesome moment that showcased how embedded within the National Governing Body Cindy had become.
Ngamba may have turned professional since then but her talent and ambition has granted her another pot of funding for the new Olympic cycle by the IOC, further proof of her abilities.
She said: "I showed to many refugees and athletes that through hard work, dedication and discipline you can achieve what I have achieved."
Judo
Kavan Majidi and Melika Balali were born in Iran but started a new chapter of their lives in Scotland.
Judoka Majidi arrived in the UK in November 2020 and quickly found his place in Glasgow.
Now training alongside the JudoScotland team, Majidi narrowly missed out on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, pipped to the post by another judoka, and now hopes to finally make his dreams come true with a spot at LA 2028.
Whilst Balali, who is based in Edinburgh, is a poet and painter away from the mat and uses her artistic skills to speak up on women's rights in her home country.
Balali was unable to compete in her first sporting love of freestyle wrestling back home but has since found a new voice and sport as part of JudoScotland.
Squash
Matin Ghalami began dreaming of competing at an Olympic Games the first time he stepped onto a squash court.
He was just 11 years old back then, and although squash was not an Olympic sport at the time, Ghalami is now ready to chase his dreams and make his debut for the Refugee Olympic Team at LA 2028.
After seeking asylum in the UK, Ghalami initially lived in an area with no squash facilities meaning he barely played before moving to Stockport and then Manchester.
He now has the ability to train at the National Squash Centre in Manchester where he is intent on improving his skills and going for gold.
"I am so honoured to be a part of the scholarship program," he said. "Thanks to the IOC ORF I have the opportunity to compete at a high level and hopefully in the Olympics as I had dreamed it when I started squash. The sport has given me a lot so now it’s my turn to try and make a part of its history. Looking forward to the future!"
Swimming
Despite pausing his swimming ambitions for seven months due to the challenges he faced as an asylum seeker in 2022, Matin Balsini still qualified for Paris 2024.
The swimmer made his Olympic debut for his home country of Iran back at Tokyo 2020 but saw his best finish under the flag of the Olympic Refugee Team in the French capital, finishing 26th in the men's 200m butterfly.
Balsini found his home in the pool at Guilford City Swimming Club. Unable to keep away from the water, the swimmer also works as a lifeguard on the weekends.
Taekwondo
When Farzad Mansouri left his home of Afghanistan after the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, all he took with him was his Olympic kit.
The taekwondo athlete was the flag bearer for his country in Tokyo, but was forced to seek safety in the UK not long after.
Mansouri began practising taekwondo when he was 10 years old alongside his brother and has since rocketed to the international stage and represented the Refugee Olympic Team at his second Olympic Games at Paris 2024.
Training with the support of GB Taekwondo in Manchester, Mansouri will now be one of three taekwondo athletes in the UK to receive IOC funding, with Esrom Neyi and Mohammad Reza Mokhtari both set on making their mark on the Olympic stage.
Weightlifting
British national champion Ramiro Mora Romero made his Olympic debut as part of the Olympic Refugee Team in Paris.
The Cuban-born weightlifter first came to the UK in 2019 as part of a circus group in which he performed as an aerialist. But after a visit back to his home country in 2021, Mora was forced to claim asylum in Britain.
Mora took part in the +102kg category at Paris 2024 and finished seventh overall after setting new personal bests in all lifts.
The British Olympic Association (BOA) supports IOC Refugee Scholars, managing their scholarship funds and providing additional training and competition support.
Sportsbeat 2025