UNHCR - Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

09/01/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/01/2024 17:33

Atangana adds to Refugee Paralympic Team medal tally with 400m bronze

Junior said that competing in Paris sends a message to other refugees and people with disabilities that "anything is possible."

"I want to show the world that being blind doesn't mean your life is over; you can still do great things," he said.

United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees Kelly T. Clements said: "Watching Guillaume and his guide runner Donard secure bronze is an extremely emotional and uplifting experience for all those cheering the Refugee Paralympic Team."

"They have kept their dreams of becoming champions alive, despite the odds against them. They exemplify the courage, perseverance and hard work that refugees put into building new lives and opportunities."

Together with seven other Para athletes competing across six sports, Junior and his running partners are part of the largest-ever Refugee Paralympic Team, representing the hopes and dreams of 120 million forcibly displaced people around the world, including an estimated 18 million with disabilities.

This is the third time the Refugee Paralympic Team is competing at the Games. The first team, comprised of two refugee athletes, competed at the Rio 2016 Paralympics Games. The team grew to six for Tokyo 2020 and in Paris, the eight refugee athletes and two guide runners are competing in six of the 22 sports - Para athletics, Para powerlifting, Para table tennis, Para taekwondo, Para triathlon, and wheelchair fencing.

Also on Sunday, Sayed Amir Hossein Pour competed in Para table tennis, losing out to Thailand's Phisit Wangphonphathanasiri in the opening round.

With two medals already, the Refugee Paralympic Team is surpassing the extraordinary achievement of the Refugee Olympic Team which had historic success at Paris 2024, winning its first medal, a bronze in women's boxing.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is partnering with the IPC, the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Refuge Foundation to support refugees at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, with the Refugee Paralympic Team competing under the IPC flag.