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IOC's "1 in 100 Million" Celebrates Refugee Olympic Team at Paris 2024

The mixed image campaign was crafted by Gravity Road

By Creative Salon

21 May 2024

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has begun to champion the Refugee Olympic Team as they prepare for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Through the "1 in 100 Million" initiative and short film, crafted by Gravity Road, the organization highlights the inspiring stories of 36 athletes who have overcome incredible challenges to compete on the world’s biggest sporting stage, representing over 100 million displaced people globally.

The campaign kicks off with a graphic-novel-style short film that introduces the exceptional talents and personal journeys of Refugee Olympic Team athletes such as Cindy Ngamba (boxing), Dorsa Yavarivafa (badminton), Ramiro Mora (weightlifting), and Kavan Majidi (judo), a Refugee Athlete Scholarship-holder. This film also underscores the severe scale of the global refugee crisis.

Since the team’s debut at Rio 2016, the number of displaced people has surged from nearly 60 million to over 100 million, according to UNHCR 2023. These individuals would form the 14th most populous country globally if gathered in one place.

Cindy Ngamba, a boxer on the Refugee Olympic Team, expressed the significance of qualifying for the Olympics: “Each member of the Refugee Olympic Team has different backgrounds and life experiences, but sport unites us – we’re a family and we’re going to go out there, support each other, and show the world what we can do.”

The 46-second film film, created with cutting-edge AI technology, features contributions from the refugee community, including Syrian refugee and illustrator Engy Jarrouj at Framestore. The original score was produced by recording artists Che Lingo and Manon Dave.

This film is part of a broader initiative giving the team a unique identity. The emblem, featuring arrow markers and a heart from the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) logo, symbolizes the athletes' shared journeys and the sense of belonging found through sport.

Ramiro Mora, a weightlifter on the team, shared his pride. “I will be so proud stepping out wearing the Refugee Olympic Team emblem. To represent myself, and my journey, but also the thousands of people who find themselves in similar circumstances as I did. I hope seeing us walk out at Paris 2024 will bring hope and inspiration to people everywhere.”

The Refugee Olympic Team, established by the IOC for Rio 2016, ensures that athletes, regardless of their circumstances, have the opportunity to compete. Managed by the ORF, the team will appear for the third time at the Olympics, symbolizing inclusion and hope for those affected by displacement.

The team for Paris 2024, announced on May 2, consists of 36 athletes from 15 National Olympic Committees (NOCs), competing in 12 sports: athletics, badminton, boxing, breaking, canoeing, cycling, judo, sport shooting, swimming, taekwondo, weightlifting, and wrestling. Selection was based on sports performance, refugee status verified by UNHCR, and balanced representation across sport, gender, and countries of origin.

The "1 in 100 Million" campaign encourages global support for the Refugee Olympic Team, urging fans to follow the athletes' journey on social media via @RefugeeOlympicTeam and to use #ForThe100Million to show their support.

Directed by William Bartlett at the Academy Award-winning Framestore and produced by the IOC in collaboration with creative agency Gravity Road, the "1 in 100 Million" film aims to mobilize worldwide backing for the Refugee Olympic Team.