"VAN" (Sports Desk - 04.09.2026) :: With two years to go until the LA28 Paralympics, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has launched a global search for Para athletes who have the potential to qualify for the Games as part of the Refugee Paralympic Team (RPT).
Through the RPT Hopefuls initiative, the IPC is aiming to identify potential Para athletes with refugee status who compete at an international level in one of 16 specific sports on the 23-sport LA28 Paralympic sport programme.
Athletes are first identified through a nomination process involving National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) and International Federations (IFs). Once nominated, each athlete’s refugee status will be verified by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. Following this verification, the IPC will then make grants available to respective host NPCs and IFs to support these Para athletes with refugee status on the pathway to qualification for the LA28 Paralympic Games.
Dr Mike Peters PLY, IPC Chief Executive Officer, said: “Through the RPT Hopefuls initiative for the LA28 Paralympic Games, we want to identify and support talented Para athletes with refugee status to ensure they have the opportunity to pursue their sporting ambitions just like any other athlete.
“Since the first refugee Para athletes competed at Rio 2016, there has been immense global interest in the Refugee Paralympic Team, and their performances have especially served to highlight the skills and aspirations of the 18 million people with disabilities worldwide who have been forcibly displaced from their homes.
“By working with and supporting NPCs and IFs hosting Para athletes with refugee status on the road to LA28, we are aiming to ensure that the Refugee Paralympic Team features an excellent group of Para athletes across several sports. We are committed to helping these athletes realise their potential and amplify their voices, while advancing the rights of persons with disabilities worldwide.”
Hadi Hassanzada, who competed at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games in Para taekwondo said: “It was a unique experience, which I would like to repeat - unique team, unique sports environment, unique facilities, friendly and family atmosphere. I wish I could be part of that team again.”
At the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, the IPC supported its largest and most successful Refugee Paralympic Team ever. The team of eight athletes and one guide competed across six sports and won two bronze medals. Zakia Khudadadi made history as the first medallist of the Refugee Paralympic Team, making the podium in the women’s Para taekwondo -47kg event. She was soon followed by Guillaume Junior Atangana and his guide Donard Nyamjua in the men’s Para athletics 400m T11 event.
The IPC first introduced a Refugee Paralympic Team at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, which included two Para athletes. At the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, six Para athletes represented the Refugee Paralympic Team.
The 16 Paralympic sports eligible for refugee Para athletes under the RPT Hopefuls initiative include: boccia, Para athletics, Para badminton, Para canoe, Para climbing, Para cycling, Para equestrian, Para powerlifting, Para swimming, Para table tennis, Para taekwondo, Para triathlon, sitting volleyball, shooting Para sport, wheelchair basketball, and wheelchair fencing.
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