The Refugee Olympic Team will wear Adidas kits from the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games through to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games under a new multi-year partnership.
The Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) announced the agreement with the German sportswear company on Monday, with Adidas becoming the team’s official kit supplier.
The partnership will see Adidas provide high-performance competition and training kits for refugee athletes, as well as sports equipment for athletes in the Refugee Athlete Support Programme.
The company will also support the ORF’s community programmes aimed at using sport to support refugees and displaced people around the world.
Jeroen Carrin, director of the ORF, said the partnership reflected a shared commitment to supporting displaced people through sport.
“From the outset, it was clear that Adidas shared our commitment to supporting refugees and displaced people through sport,” Carrin said.
“We look forward to seeing this partnership come to life at the upcoming Youth Olympic Games in Dakar.”
Kerryn Foster, general manager of specialised sports at Adidas, said the company was looking forward to seeing its three-stripes branding on the Refugee Olympic Team.
“We feel privileged to be working with a team that shares our philosophy,” Foster said.
“We look forward to seeing the three stripes represented by the Refugee Olympic Team in Dakar this year and in the future.”
From Rio 2016 to Dakar 2026
The Refugee Olympic Team was created by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2015 following the global increase in forced displacement.
It made its Olympic debut at Rio 2016, when 10 refugee athletes competed across three sports.
The team has since grown significantly, with 37 athletes representing 12 sports at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The programme was established to give elite athletes affected by displacement an opportunity to continue competing internationally despite being unable to represent their countries of origin.
The ORF was established by the IOC in 2017 and works with national Olympic committees and international sports federations to create sporting opportunities for refugees and displaced people.
The Adidas partnership will now extend that support to the next generation, with Dakar 2026 set to become the first Youth Olympic Games at which the Refugee Olympic Team will compete.
The agreement is built around the shared belief that sport can help people affected by conflict and displacement while giving athletes access to opportunities on the same terms as their peers.
The partnership will run through the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.