Lausanne, Switzerland, December 12, 2023: Afghanistan’s Masomah Ali Zada has been named Chef de Mission for the Refugee Olympic Team Paris 2024 by the IOC Executive Board.
Masomah, who competed in road cycling as a member of the Refugee Olympic Team Tokyo 2020, is a member of the Athletes’ Commission of the IOC. She is joined by Bernadette Castel-Hollingsworth, Deputy Director of the Division of International Protection at the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, as Deputy Chef de Mission.
IOC President Thomas Bach said: “I am delighted to welcome Masomah into her role as Chef de Mission. Having seen her journey from when she left Afghanistan through to competing at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and now becoming the leader of the Refugee Olympic Team, I cannot think of anyone better to represent this team and more-than 110 million displaced people around the world.
“Much like all the other athletes on this team, she shows us what refugees and displaced people can do, achieve and contribute to society, and I look forward to seeing her lead by example,” Bach added.
Masomah was born in Afghanistan into a conservative community where girls were not encouraged to ride bikes. She became the target of threats when she and a group of women started racing competitively. She persevered and became a member of the Afghan national women’s cycling team.
She became a refugee in 2017 and claimed asylum in France. Soon after, she received an IOC Refugee Athlete Scholarship, which was another step towards achieving her dream of competing at the Olympic Games. She is currently studying civil engineering at the University of Lille. She was appointed to the IOC Athletes’ Commission in July 2022.
On learning of her appointment, Masomah said: “For me it is a source of pride to be able to represent not only the athletes and the team, but also the more-than 110 million displaced people around the world. In Paris, we have an opportunity to show the world what refugees are really capable of, and redefine the way the world sees us.”
There are currently 62 athletes benefitting from a Refugee Athlete Scholarship, training and competing in the hope of being selected for the Refugee Olympic Team Paris 2024. They are from 11 countries, live in 19 host countries and represent 13 sports.