Australian-based sprinter Kimia Yousofi to run in Paris

Here are three stories of refugee athletes whose journeys serve as powerful reminders of resilience and strength, and the transformative power of sport.

Kimia Yousofi

Olympic sprinter Kimia Yousofi fled Afghanistan in 2022 after the de facto authorities took Kabul. She was among the Afghan athletes who came to Australia with assistance from the Australian Olympic Committee.

"When we left, I was shocked and emotional. I was crying and I couldn't believe it," said Kimia. 

"I'm very thankful to the Australian Government and the Australian Olympic Committee for helping me through this process. They gave me and my family another chance, and the opportunity to chase my dreams." 

Kimia was able to continue her training in Sydney and will compete in the women's 100 metres in Paris, carrying the stolen hopes and dreams of Afghan women and girls. It will be her third appearance at the Olympics, but her first in a gender-equal Afghan team. The Afghanistan Olympic Committee, which operates outside the country, has selected three women to compete in Paris.

"I'm very excited. This is one of my dreams," she said. "But I don't think about myself a lot now. It's my responsibility to represent Afghan girls and remind the world not to forget them."

Joseph Deng

Joseph Deng was born in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya after his mother fled South Sudan in search of safety. At the age of six, he moved to Queensland, Australia with his mother and sister.

Joseph began training with an after-school athletics club. Sport gave him a sense of belonging. 

“It was pretty hard at the start, having to learn English,” Joseph said to World Athletics. “Through school, I made some friends playing sports and it worked out quite well in the end.”

Joseph later represented Australia at the 2016 World Junior Championships in Poland and the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Joseph now lives in Melbourne and trains alongside Peter Bol. Joseph broke the Australian 800 metre record in 2023 while competing in France, besting Bol and becoming the fastest 800 metre runner in Australian history.

Ramiro Mora

Ramiro Mora began weightlifting at the age of 14, undergoing an intensive training program to become a professional weightlifter in his hometown in Cuba.

After fleeing to the United Kingdom in search of safety, Ramiro joined a local sports centre where he continued to pursue his passion for weightlifting.

“It’s difficult because when I started training again, I had nothing,” said Ramiro. “Sometimes, you miss your family and just look at the ceiling and cry. I didn’t have a lot of friends here in the country and the process was so difficult. But when you are disciplined, you can do whatever you want.”

Despite the challenges of moving to a new country, Ramiro worked hard to become a British weightlifting champion. Today, he holds records in both the 89 and 96 kg weight categories.

Ramiro will compete in the 102 kg category for weightlifting, representing the Refugee Olympic Team.

“I will be so proud stepping out wearing the Refugee Team emblem. To represent myself and my journey but also the thousands of people who find themselves in similar circumstances as I did,” he said.

He aspires to give hope to others forced to flee.

“If you’re offered a chance to improve your life, keep pushing what you believe in and aim to achieve, even when there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel,” said Ramiro. “The asylum process is tough, but I continued training and competing because I knew stopping meant giving up on my dreams.”

You can watch Kimia, Joseph and Ramiro and other refugee athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games from 26 July to 11 August 2024.