Refugee Team for Paris Olympics has 36 athletes from 11 countries across 12 sports

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Refugee Team for Paris Olympics has 36 athletes from 11 countries across 12 sports

2024-05-02 22:57 Last Updated At：05-03 00:50

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The Refugee Team for the Paris Olympics will feature 36 athletes from 11 countries in 12 sports.

They were picked from more than 70 scholarships, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said at the team announcement on Thursday.

Instead of competing under the Olympic flag, the refugees have their own emblem featuring a heart at its center, surrounded by arrows symbolizing how lost refugees can find their way back. The team will be known under the acronym EOR from the French name Équipe Olympique des Réfugiés.

“Having our own emblem creates a sense of belonging, and empowers us to also stand for the population of more than 100 million people who share this same experience," said Masomah Ali Zada of Afghanistan, the team chef de mission who competed in women’s cycling at the Tokyo Games. "I cannot wait to wear it proudly.”

A total of 23 men and 13 women will compete in athletics, badminton, boxing, breaking, canoeing, cycling, judo, shooting, swimming, taekwondo, weightlifting and wrestling at the Games starting on July 24.

Boxer Cindy Ngamba and Ethiopian runner Farida Abaroge are among the women. Kasra Mehdipournejad, an Iranian taekwondo athlete living in Germany, and shooter Edilio Francisco Centeno Nieves from Venezuela are among the men.

“My Olympic dream is coming true," Mehdipournejad said.

On Tuesday, a third runner on the team was suspended for a positive doping test.

The refugee team was created by the IOC for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro to allow athletes to keep competing, even if they have been forced to leave their home countries.

There were 10 athletes in Rio, with Syrian swimmer Yusra Mardini becoming the first to compete. Three years ago in Tokyo the number was 29 across 12 sports.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Russell Brand arrives at a London court to face rape and sexual assault charges

2025-05-02 16:48 Last Updated At：17:00

LONDON (AP) — Actor--comedian Russell Brand arrived at a London court on Friday to face charges of rape and sexual assault involving four women.

Brand, 49, was swarmed by photographers as he arrived at Westminster Magistrates’ Court for his first hearing since being charged last month.

As police tried to control the scrum, a man shouted “No one is above the law, Russell Brand!”

The comedian, author and “Get Him To The Greek” actor faces one count of rape, one of indecent assault, one of oral rape and two of sexual assault. The alleged offenses took place between 1999 and 2005 — one in the English seaside town of Bournemouth and the other three in the Westminster area of central London.

In September 2023, British media outlets Channel 4 and the Sunday Times published claims by four women of being sexually assaulted or raped by Brand. The accusers have not been identified.

Brand has been interviewed by police about the allegations, which he denies.

Brand has denied engaging in “non-consensual activity.” In a video posted on X after he was charged, Brand said he welcomed the opportunity to prove his innocence.

Known for his unbridled and risqué standup routines, Brand hosted shows on radio and television and wrote memoirs charting his battles with drugs and alcohol. He has appeared in several Hollywood movies and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry between 2010 and 2012.

In recent years, Brand has largely disappeared from mainstream media but has built up a large following online with videos mixing wellness and conspiracy theories. He recently said he had moved to the United States.