Elevate Arena
Elevate Arena
Elevate Arena
Leisure Opportunities
Job search
Job Search
see all jobs
Latest job opportunities

Bach confirms refugee team will take part at Rio 2016

Forty-three promising athletes are being lined up to compete at this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio in a team made up entirely of refugees.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that Team Refugee Olympic Athletes (ROA) will compete at the Games. Out of the 43 that have been identified, between five and 10 will be selected to take part.

Team ROA will get its own welcome ceremony at the Games, like other teams, and will march behind the Olympic flag before host team Brazil at the opening ceremony. The IOC will provide uniforms and a team entourage including coaches and technical officials.

“By welcoming the team of Refugee Olympic Athletes to the Olympic Games Rio 2016, we want to send a message of hope for all refugees in our world,” said IOC president Thomas Bach. “Having no national team to belong to, having no flag to march behind, having no national anthem to be played, these refugee athletes will be welcomed.”

The athletes were identified by National Olympic Committees, with candidates receiving funding from the IOC to assist their qualification efforts. If refugee athletes go on to win medals during the Rio Games, an Olympic flag will be raised, and the Olympic anthem will be played.

Sign up for FREE ezines, news alerts & magazines
Related news

Olympic torch relay to pass through Greek refugee camp

29 Jan 2016
A refugee centre in Greece will host part of the Olympic torch relay ahead of ...

Refugees welcomed with sport by German Olympic body

24 Dec 2015
The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) is using sport to reach out to its growing ...

FC Bayern München pledges €1m and sets up 'training camp' to help with refugee crisis

03 Sep 2015
German football club Bayern München has pledged to play an “active part” in helping young ...
Forty-three promising athletes are being lined up to compete at this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio in a team made up entirely of refugees.
SAR
THUMB8870_216660.jpg

More News

1 - 15 of 69,578
03 Jun 2026
Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai in Hoi An, Vietnam, has put together a Global Wellness Day (GWD) agenda with activations rooted in nature and ... More
03 Jun 2026
Lithuanian care operator Addere Care has launched a “wellness care hospital” in Vilnius. It's the company’s second Lithuanian site, following a hospital in Trakai, but ... More
03 Jun 2026
Australia’s fast-growing fitness network, Viva Leisure, is adding a low-cost gym brand to its already extensive portfolio. The Zoo Fit rollout starts  in July with ... More
03 Jun 2026
Speedflex has launched a strength training programme for 10 to 16-year-olds, to make it safer, more inclusive and more engaging. Built on the Speedflex training ... More
01 Jun 2026
Tewinbury Farm Hotel in Hertfordshire, UK is expanding its premium leisure proposition with the launch of Farm Club, on 15 June. Located 30 minutes from ... More
01 Jun 2026

Work is underway in Madrid on one of Europe’s most significant multi-functional complexes, combining sport, entertainment, culture and education.

The €800 ... More

01 Jun 2026
Rainer Maelzer, an experiential entertainment innovator, has been appointed chief entertainment officer by Therme Group.  With decades of experience in immersive water-based attractions, Maelzer will ... More
29 May 2026
PureGym is encouraging people to step away from their screens and go for a walk, in a new initiative timed to coincide with Mental Health ... More
29 May 2026
Small improvements to sleep, diet quality, and physical activity, made in combination lead to a significantly reduced risk of major cardiovascular events, including heart attacks ... More
29 May 2026

Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse ... More

28 May 2026
The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the 2026 event in Phuket, Thailand, later this year with the theme: The Science, ... More
28 May 2026
Auko, an all-inclusive development, is opening in Phong Nha in Vietnam in Q3 2026, with a series of 30 tented eco-lodges and wellness hospitality operations ... More
28 May 2026
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world ... More
28 May 2026

Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its recently launched Sirene Island themed area and ... More

28 May 2026
Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort, has opened a 2,800sq m spa called The Sanctuary, with the design and concept inspired by the Native ... More
1 - 15 of 69,578
Elevate Arena
Elevate Arena