Badminton player Dorsa Yavarivafa, who was born in Iran but relocated to the United Kingdom as a refugee, has been selected for the Refugee Athlete Scholarship programme for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The scholarship programme, which is provided by the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Solidarity and managed by the Olympic Refuge Foundation, will give funding support for training and competition in the run-up to Paris 2024, giving the Scholarship Holders a chance to qualify for the Olympics.

Yavarivafa, who currently studies sports science in Sandwell College, UK, was thrilled with the acceptance of her application by the IOC.

“I was like, is this happening? Or am I dreaming?” the 19-year-old said, on the confirmation call she received from the IOC. “I was so stressed to talk to them because I was in shock. When I heard I was accepted, I immediately started crying. And my mum was also so happy. I got to the point where I have always wanted to get to. I will never forget that moment.”

Yavarivafa grew up in Iran and started playing badminton aged nine, influenced by her father’s love for the sport. Forced to leave the country with her mother when she was 15, they lived as refugees for a while in Germany before eventually making their way to the UK.

All along, she tried to continue training and competed in local tournaments both in Germany and in England. A singles and doubles player, Yavarivafa won the 75^th Worcestershire Restricted 2022 (women’s singles) and the Herefordshire Senior Bronze 2022 (women’s doubles with partner Sri Pradeeptaa Anantha).

“For now, my goal is to get to the Olympics to compete,” said Yavarivafa.

Yavarivafa is the second badminton player to receive the Scholarship after Syria-born Aram Mahmoud who participated in Tokyo 2020.

Providing Hope Through Sport

The Refugee Athlete Scholarships are funded by the IOC through its Olympic Solidarity programme and provide the athletes with financial support for training and competition in the lead-up to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, with the hope of being selected for the IOC Refugee Olympic Team.

The IOC established the Refugee Athlete Scholarship Programme following the participation of the first-ever IOC Refugee Olympic Team at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Since then, the programme has been expanded to give NOCs the chance to identify refugee athletes living in their countries and support them during their training, preparation and participation in high-level competitions. This resulted in more than 50 refugee athletes receiving scholarships in the lead-up to Tokyo 2020, with 29 athletes in 12 sports being chosen to compete for the IOC Refugee Olympic Team Tokyo 2020.

The Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) functions in lieu of a traditional NOC, managing the Refugee Athlete Scholarship-holders and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team Paris 2024.