19 December 2025 – Speaking in Geneva this week, IOC Honorary President and ORF Chair Thomas Bach called on attendees at the Global Refugee Forum Progress Review to honour Filippo Grandi’s legacy “by ensuring that sport reaches every person forced to flee their home.”
Grandi ─ the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and Vice-Chair of the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) ─ opened his final official event as High Commissioner by striking a sombre note in a year when forced displacement has continued to grow, whilst acknowledging a devastated aid sector “inflicting so much unnecessary pain in its wake on refugees”. Despite this, he called on attendees to not be discouraged, highlighting that “solidarity saves lives.”
IOC Honorary President Thomas Bach, who also chairs the Olympic Refuge Foundation, spoke in the closing plenary, reflecting on progress and highlighting what he described as “a very special partnership.” Referring to the partnership between UNHCR and the world of sport, he said it “demonstrates the power of sport to bring hope, dignity, and a sense of belonging to refugees.”
The Global Refugee Forum Progress Review brings together senior government officials, civil society and the private sector on a biannual basis, to discuss solutions and assess pledges made to promote sustainable solutions to displacement.
This year’s Forum marks the end of a 10-year tenure for the ORF Vice-Chair in charge of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency – a period which saw the creation of the first Refugee Olympic Team, the participation of two further teams, and the creation of the Olympic Refuge Foundation. A further outcome of this strong relationship between UNHCR and the IOC is the Sport for Refugees Coalition (SfRC). Established by the IOC and UNHCR in advance of the Global Refugee Forum in 2019 and co-convened by the Olympic Refuge Foundation, UNHCR and the Scort Foundation, the SfRC has grown to more than 170 members across the sport, humanitarian, public and private sectors.
A commitment to cities
A major announcement from the Forum, was the ORF’s USD 2.25 million commitment to a new partnership with the Mayors Migration Council to support between three to five cities with two-year grants as part of a new sport and inclusion funding window within the Global Cities Fund.
By integrating sport and physical activity into the resettlement process, creating accessible play and sporting spaces, providing sustainable support for local sport-based initiatives, and promoting cross-sector collaboration, cities have the power to turn sport into a tool for the benefit of their communities.
Speaking at the plenary session of the forum on behalf of local and regional governments, Councillor of the city of Ramallah in Palestine Jamal Haddad noted the Olympic Refuge Foundation’s commitment and the importance of supporting city-led action for refugee inclusion.
Building a movement
Representing the SfRC at the Forum, Refugee Olympic Team Chef de Mission Masomah Ali Zada said: “As a refugee, sport has opened countless doors, creating opportunities for integration and belonging in France. It is because of the transformative power of sport that I stand before you today.”
Ali Zada highlighted the important role of sport but reiterated the Coalition’s call for more to be done.
We know that sport has a unique ability to bring people together, to break down cultural barriers, and to support both physical and mental well-being. Yet despite its demonstrated potential, sport remains overlooked and undervalued in humanitarian responses.
Masomah Ali Zada – Refugee Olympic Team Chef de Mission
In the lead-up to the GRF, through the Coalition, the IOC and the ORF brought together more than 60 other organisations, by issuing a statement calling for greater action to use sport in the protection and inclusion of people who have been forced to flee their homes. The statement speaks to the commitment of the Olympic Movement to promote access to and opportunities through sport.
Sport actors and SfRC members were present throughout the Forum, with World Athletics Vice-President Lt. Gen. (Rtd) Jackson Tuwei pledging to support refugee athletes and, in collaboration with the ORF, ensuring the participation of athletics refugee athletes at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, and the senior World Athletics Championships Beijing 2027. Gerald Mballe from Special Olympics was amongst other organisations’ representatives calling to make inclusive sport a pillar of refugee inclusion.
Thomas Bach ended his words in the plenary with a commitment from the Olympic Refuge Foundation, as well as the wider Olympic Movement, to “widen the focus and strengthen the support for refugees around the world.”
