Masomah Ali Zada, Afghan Cyclist, Appointed Chef de Mission for Refugee Olympic Team in Paris
Masomah Ali Zada, a cyclist from Afghanistan, has been selected as the Chef de Mission for the Refugee Olympic Team at the Paris Olympics. Ali Zada, who was a member of the Refugee Team at the Tokyo Olympics, will now lead the team’s third appearance at the Olympic Games.
This year marks the third time the Refugee Olympic Team will participate in the Olympic competitions. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, the team made its debut with 10 athletes. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the number of athletes on this team increased to 29, and now, in their third appearance, 36 refugee athletes will head to the Paris Olympics. A notable point is the presence of 14 Iranian athletes in various sports among the members of this team.
In addition to the Iranian athletes, several Afghan athletes are also part of the Refugee Team. Amir Ansari, who was born in Iran and raised in Afghanistan, Sebghatullah Arab and Nigara Shaheen in judo, Farzad Mansouri in taekwondo, and Manizha Talash in breakdancing are among the Afghan athletes on this team.
Furthermore, two other Iranian athletes, Kimia Alizadeh competing under the Bulgarian flag and Saeid Mollaei under the flag of the Republic of Azerbaijan, will compete in the Paris Olympics.
With the appointment of Masomah Ali Zada as the Chef de Mission, the Refugee Olympic Team hopes to have a successful performance in their third appearance at the Olympic Games.
