Refugee Taekwondo Athletes Make Asian Games History

Serkan Çevik

05 Oct 2026

TOYOHASHI, Japan — Two Syrian athletes became the first competitors of the Asian Refugee Team at the Asian Games, and both of them are taekwondo fighters.

First refugee team in Asian Games history

Talah Al Hassan Al Hinide fought in the women’s −49kg division, and Mahmoud Al Jasem Al Mohammad Al Hussein competed in the men’s −80kg division on October 2. Both lost in the round of 16. Even so, their presence in Toyohashi was one of the most meaningful stories of the event.

Aichi-Nagoya 2026 is the first Asian Games at which the Olympic Council of Asia has entered a refugee team, and the two taekwondo athletes made up its entire delegation.

From Azraq Refugee Camp to Japan

Both athletes come from the same place. They live in Jordan’s Azraq Refugee Camp, where they discovered taekwondo while rebuilding their lives after leaving Syria.

Mahmoud’s journey began a decade ago. He started training in Azraq in 2016 and was one of the early participants in a program supported by the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation. Over the years, training gave him structure and confidence, and eventually a place on one of Asia’s biggest sporting stages.

For Talah, taekwondo has been about much more than winning. She described the sport as a source of hope that let her dream again, and said being a refugee does not have to limit her future.

Taekwondo’s humanitarian role

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation has spent years building programs in refugee camps, and this debut is one of its most visible results. Taekwondo already has a strong record here. A Taekwondo Refugee Team also competes at World Taekwondo events, including this year’s World Poomsae Championships in Chuncheon.