By Haruka Sato

They have no country to march behind. No national flag to carry. But on Saturday in Nagoya, two young athletes will enter the Asian Games carrying something far heavier — the stories of people forced to leave home and the dream of finding a place in the world through sport.

For the first time in Asian Games history, a refugee team will take part in the continental sporting showpiece. The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Refugee Team, known as the Asian Refugee Team (ART) during competition, comprises two Syrian athletes competing in taekwondo at Aichi-Nagoya 2026.

Twenty-four-year-old Mahmoud Al Jasem Al Mohammad Al Hussein will compete in the men’s 80kg Kyorugi. Eighteen-year-old Talah Al Hassan Al Hinide will compete in the women’s -49kg Kyorugi.

Both athletes live in the Azraq refugee camp in Jordan. Despite lives disrupted by displacement, they have continued their sporting journeys.

For them, Nagoya represents a remarkable distance travelled. That journey is geographical, but also personal.

Asian Refugee Team gets a distinct identity

The team will have a distinct identity throughout the Games.

For protocol events, including the Opening Ceremony, officials will refer to the team as the OCA Refugee Team. During competition, the athletes will compete as the Asian Refugee Team.

They will not march under a national flag.

Instead, the OCA flag will represent them. If either athlete wins gold, officials will raise the OCA flag and play the OCA anthem during the medal ceremony.

That arrangement makes the symbolism impossible to miss.

Taekwondo offers Talah a new identity

Talah, just 18, has spoken about arriving at Azraq with painful memories and dreams that seemed increasingly distant.

Taekwondo became a way for her to rebuild confidence. It also helped her create a new identity beyond the word “refugee”.

Her journey from a refugee camp to an Asian Games arena therefore means more than a sporting result.

It is also about visibility.

For decades, refugees have often been defined by what they have lost — their homes, communities, possessions and, in many cases, their sense of belonging.

In Nagoya, two athletes will be defined, at least for a few weeks, by what they can do.

Two athletes, one historic Asian Games appearance

The Asian Games organisers have included the OCA Refugee Team alongside the 45 participating countries and regions at Aichi-Nagoya 2026.

The delegation may consist of only two athletes. But its presence changes the picture.

When Mahmoud and Talah walk into the stadium, they will not represent Syria or any other country.

They will represent a group of athletes for whom simply reaching an international sporting stage has required overcoming circumstances most competitors never have to confront.

There will be medals to win and bouts to fight.

But before any of that happens, there is the moment itself: two refugees walking into an Asian Games arena without a country behind them, but with the world watching.

For the first time, the Asian Games has made room for them.

And sometimes, having a place to stand is where the journey begins.