On the eve of the European Games 2023 Opening Ceremony and to mark World Refugee Day on 20 June, Kasra Mehdipournejad and Cindy Winner Djankeu Ngamba have been announced as the European Olympic Committees (EOC) Refugee Team’s flagbearers.

The EOC Refugee Team are the first to take part at a continental association’s multi-sport event with four athletes selected to compete, and Kasra and Cindy will lead the team out at the Henryk Reyman Municipal Stadium on 21 June.

Taekwondo athlete Kasra now lives in Germany having been born in Iran and described it as a dream come true to represent the Refugee Team alongside fellow taekwondo athlete Dina Pouryounes Langeroudi and boxers Cindy and Farid Walizadeh.

Kasra said: “I am so excited. This is the first time that I have competed at an international games and this is a dream come true for me. We are representing refugees around the world during our time in Poland and I am very proud.

“I know many refugees have a difficult life and they may not have access to water and to medical supplies, but I would like to say to them to never give up and to always follow your dreams. Your dreams will always show the way.”

The EOC are also pleased to announce that global sports brand 4F will be the official technical partner of the EOC Refugee Team for the European Games Krakow-Malopolska 2023. Based in Poland, 4F have provided dedicated clothing for various Olympic Committees at the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, the European Games and many more prestigious events over the past 14 years.

EOC Sports Director Peter Brull said: “We are delighted to announce the EOC Refugee Team’s partnership with 4F on World Refugee Day. Providing the athletes with the highest quality kit for their training and competitions will help them achieve the best results possible.”

As well as the athletes representing the EOC Refugee Team, more than 100 Ukrainian refugees will form part of the volunteer team of nearly 10,000 at the European Games.

EOC Refugee Team Chef de Mission and Refugee Athlete Programme Manager, Gonzalo Barrio, at the Olympic Refuge Foundation said: “As the Olympic Refuge Foundation, we are delighted to have a Refugee Team represented at the European Games, in a country that is currently hosting more than one million refugees. Our two flag bearers Cindy and Kasra represent the diversity of refugee stories and backgrounds and will be a shining example for refugees around Europe and the world. The EOC Refugee Team will represent a world where displaced people can thrive through sport and send a message to all of Europe of their meaningful contribution to our communities.”

About the European Games

The third edition of the European Games will take place between 21 June and 2 July 2023. There will be 26 sports played during the games with 18 Olympic and eight non-Olympic sports scheduled and 7,000 athletes expected to take part. Kraków will be the main hub of the Games with 25 venues hosting events across the region.

About 4F

4F is part of the OTCF S.A. clothing company based in Poland. It offers high-quality sports and casual wear and accessories which combine technology with modern design and trends. An important aspect of the brand’s strategy is to support physical activity at all levels and across multiple disciplines, and to promote a well-being approach. The brand sponsors and partners several Olympic and Paralympic Committees and Sports Associations. It is also a Technical Partner of various football, basketball and volleyball teams. At the Beijing 2022 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the brand’s clothing was worn by representatives of nine Olympic Committees. In 2020 4F launched its Foundation – 4F Pomaga.

About the Olympic Refuge Foundation

At the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in October 2015, confronted with the global refugee crisis that has seen millions of people in the world displaced, IOC President Thomas Bach announced the creation of the Refugee Olympic Team – the first of its kind – to take part in the Olympic Games Rio 2016. The IOC Refugee Olympic Team has since competed at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and there are currently more than 50 Refugee Athlete Scholarship-holders aiming to be selected for the IOC Refugee Olympic Team Paris 2024. In September 2017, the IOC established the Olympic Refugee Foundation which manages the IOC Refugee Olympic Team but also leverages sport for the protection, inclusion and empowerment of young people affected by displacement across the globe.