The Refugee Paralympic Team (RPT) is a group made up of independent Paralympic participants who are refugees. The team competes using the Paralympic flag and Paralympic anthem, and marches first during the Opening Ceremony.
Alongside the debut of the Refugee Olympic Team at the 2016 Summer Olympics, a team of refugee Para athletes first competed at the Rio 2016 Summer Paralympics as Independent Paralympic Athletes. The Refugee Paralympic Team was formally named starting with the 2020 Summer Paralympics.
Zakia Khudadadi became the first person to win a Paralympic medal for the Refugee Paralympic Team, winning a bronze medal in the women's –47 kg Para taekwondo event at the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympics. Days later, Guillaume Junior Atangana, guided by fellow refugee Donard Ndim Nyamjua, won bronze in the men's 400m T11 Para athletics event.
Medalists MedalNameGamesSportEventZakia Khudadadi2024 ParisPara taekwandoWomen's –47 kgAthleticsMen's 400 m T11 Medals by Summer sport
Participations
2016 Summer Paralympics
The team was announced on August 5, 2016, by the International Paralympic Committee. Participants were nominated for the team by National Paralympic Committees who were aware of qualified sportspeople. The International Paralympic Committee stepped in to assist with getting athletes ready by doing a number of things, including insuring that athletes were classified.
Athlete Country of origin Host NPC Sport Event Shahrad Nasajpour Para athletics Men's Discus F37 Ibrahim Al Hussein Para swimming Men's 50m freestyle S9Men's 100m freestyle S9
2020 Summer Paralympics
Athlete Country of origin Host NPC Sport Event Shahrad Nasajpour Para athletics Men's Discus F37 Alia Issa Para athletics Women's Club throw F32 Anas Al Khalifa Para canoe Men's Va'a Single 200m - KL2Men's Va'a Single 200m - VL2 Abbas Karimi Para swimming Men's 50m backstroke S5Men's 50m backstroke S5 Ibrahim Al Hussein Para swimming Men's 50m freestyle S9Men's 100m breaststroke SB8 Parfait Hakizimana Para taekwondo Men's K44 -61 kg
2024 Summer Paralympics The team for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games was the largest to date for the Paralympic Games and was announced on 9 July 2024. The eight athletes and one guide runner competed across six sports. The team was led by Chef de Mission Nyasha Mharakurwa PLY, who represented Zimbabwe in wheelchair tennis at London 2012. The team was supported by Worldwide Paralympic Partner Airbnb, Asics, UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency), the French Ministry for Sport and Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Paris 2024 Organising Committee, and Centre for Resources, Expertise and Sport Performance of Reims. AthleteCountry of originHost NPCSportEventGuillaume Junior AtanganaPara athleticsMen's 100m T11 Men's 400m T11Salman AbbarikiPara athleticsMen's Shot Put F34Sayed Amir Hossein PourPara table tennisMen's individual C8Hadi HassanzadaPara taekwandoMen's -80kgZakia KhudadadiPara taekwandoWomen's –47 kgHadi DarvishPara powerliftingMen's –80 kgIbrahim Al HusseinPara triathlonMen's PTS3Amelio Castro GruesoWheelchair fencingMen's épée B Men's sabre B
See also EOC Refugee Team at the 2023 European Games Refugee Olympic Team
References