The final episode of this series considers the issue of inclusion of refugees in sports as well as broader issues related to inclusion, such as disability and gender.

Muna Dahouk, recently back from Paris where she represented the IOC Refugee Olympic Team in judo and Gerald Mballe, the first ever Special Olympics advisor for the Unified with Refugees Programme share their lived experience as refugees and their insights into the benefits of inclusive sport.

For more information about the Paris 2024 Refugee Olympic Team and the wider work of the Olympic Refuge Foundation check out www.olympicrefugefoundation.org or follow Olympic Refuge Foundation on LinkedIn and @refugeeolympicteam on Instagram.

For details of the evaluation of the Game Connect Programme featured in the episode please visit: Resources | Olympic Refuge Foundation (olympics.com)

This episode explores how sports can support the global mandate for refugee protection.

Sarah Harrison from the International Federation of the Red Cross Psychosocial Centre, Copenhagen, shares her experiences in various humanitarian crises and explains how sports have become essential for displaced and war-affected young people.

Lam Joar recounts his journey from Kakuma refugee camp, to supporting refugee athletes at the Tokyo Olympics, earning a postgraduate degree in Refugee Studies at Oxford University, and becoming an advocate for refugee engagement in sports.

For more information about the Paris 2024 Refugee Olympic Team and sport for protection programmes, visit www.olympicrefugefoundation.org.

To learn more about the Terrains d’Avenir programme, visit terrainsdavenir.fr.

This episode focuses on the crucial role of coaches – and other members of an athlete’s support team – not only in promoting performance, but also in fostering well-being.

Leslie Snider, psychiatrist and humanitarian, shares insights  from co-developing the SportCoach+ training programme, which equips sports coaches with the skills to effectively engage with young people who have experienced trauma due to forced displacement.

Cyrille Tchatchet II, a refugee athlete at the Olympic Games in Tokyo and Welfare Officer for the Paris 2024 Refugee Olympic Team, discusses his experience of competition and addresses the wider importance of promoting mental health and well-being for athletes and others, through sport.

For more information about the Paris 2024 Refugee Olympic Team – and previous IOC Refugee Olympic Team athletes – visit www.olympicrefugefoundation.org. For details on SportCoach+ visit www.sportcoachplus.org.

Framing the podcast series, this episode celebrates efforts to engage refugees in sport at both the elite and grassroots levels.  

Rose Nathike highlights her experience as an athlete competing for the IOC Refugee Olympic Team in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 and offers insight to how Paris 2024 Olympic Refugee Team athletes will be anticipating the games. Simon Rosenbaum, Professor UNSW Sydney, shares how engagement in sport and physical exercise has become a vital new – and scientifically validated – focus in support of refugee communities, both in humanitarian settings and countries of resettlement. 

For more information about the Paris 2024 Olympic Refugee Team – and previous IOC Refugee Olympic Team athletes such as Rose – visit www.olympicrefugefoundation.org.

For a summary of the evidence shared by Simon, please check out ‘Realising the cross-cutting potential of sport in situations of forced displacement’.