Refugee Programs
Refugee Athletes
In collaboration with the IOC Refugee Foundation and with support from National Olympic Committees and National Federations, United World Wrestling has supported four remarkable refugee athletes.
This collective endeavor is designed not only to foster individual athletic dreams but also to extend the positive impact of sports to displaced communities, fostering resilience and a sense of belonging. Through these initiatives, we vividly demonstrate the transformative power of sport, offering hope and inspiration while underscoring that dreams can thrive even in challenging circumstances.
It's important to note that, at this stage, we exclusively collaborate with IOC-approved Refugee Athletes to support and facilitate their Olympic journey.
UWW Refugee Programme information 2023-2024
Following the successful programme of the International Olympic Committee regarding the participation of Refugee Teams at the RIO 2016 Olympic Games and Tokyo 2021, the programme has been renewed for the 2024 Paris OG.
In view of the current world challenges and the many wrestlers fleeing their countries, UWW is committed to supporting the inclusion of the refugees within the wrestling family worldwide at different participation stages and in line with the national federations’ rules and regulations in their regard.
The UWW Bureau adopted a set of guidelines and rules regarding the acceptance of refugee athletes representing and competing under the UWW flag and anthem, as well as at the grassroot participation level depending on the interest of the UWW-affiliated national federations.
The UWW Bureau agreed that the inclusion of refugees in the hosting countries is beneficial and provides a prompter integration for displaced individuals. Sport being a peace and development tool, the Bureau has adopted approaches in the interest of all. However, knowing the situation of the displaced people, we can provide our support only if national sporting entities wish to develop this path.
Paris Olympic Games
The following athletes have been approved by the IOC and are receiving support from UWW as they prepare for the Paris Olympic Games.
- Jamal Valizadeh, resides in France
- Iman Mahdavi, resides in Italy
Tokyo Olympic Games
The following athletes embarked on their journey and underwent the preparation process with the support of UWW Development for the Tokyo Olympic Games.
- Aker Al Obaidi, among them, participated in the Tokyo Olympic Games - read more about his inspiring journey https://uww.org/article/support-community-al-obaidi-painting-bright-future.
- Amir Al-Awad, an excellent wrestling athlete resides in Egypt. Read more about his story https://uww.org/article/olympic-feature-amir-al-awad
