Refugee Arrows for LA28 project presented at Olympic House
The Refugee Arrows for LA28 project, called One Target One Dream, was presented at Olympic House in Lausanne as part of the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Day celebrations.
Led by X10 Archers Club, the initiative brings together World Archery, the World Archery Excellence Centre, the International Olympic Committee, the Olympic Refuge Foundation, the City of Lausanne, the Canton of Vaud, the Easton Foundations and other partners.
The programme aims to identify and develop talented refugee archers living in the Canton of Vaud, with the ambition of preparing one female and one male athlete for the possibility of representing the IOC Refugee Olympic Team at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Launched in June 2025 following a talent identification programme across the canton, the initiative currently supports refugee archers Fatma Ekinci, Mehdi Ramazani, Zhara Salihi and Ahmet Ilhan Kaya, who train several days a week in Lausanne under coaches Jeoung Kyeongsu and Nicolas Campana. Athletes receive coaching, equipment and competition opportunities while developing both their sporting potential and personal confidence through archery.
The athletes shared their experiences and answered questions from the audience during the presentation. World Archery Executive Director and Olympic Champion Juan Carlos Holgado, who mentors the project, moderated the discussion and reflected on the programme from the perspective of both an Olympian and a coach.
The project builds on the success of sport shooting Olympic Champion Niccolò Campriani’s Make a Mark initiative, which helped refugee shooters qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, adapting the concept to archery in collaboration with local and international partners.
The presentation brought together representatives from IOC departments working on refugee athlete development and the wider Olympic Movement, as well as organisations supporting refugees in the Canton of Vaud.
Participants praised the initiative as an example of how collaboration between sport and community organisations can promote integration, personal development and high-performance opportunities through archery.
