Refugee Programmes

The Refugee Youth Athlete Programmes offer young people with a passion for sports and a refugee background in Switzerland or abroad the opportunity to improve their performance level and participate in international competitions such as the Youth Olympic Games. The programmes emphasize the importance of education and perspectives to promote integration and intercultural learning.

The Refugee Youth Athlete Programmes aim to provide young people who are passionate about sports and are recognized refugees in Switzerland or abroad with ideal access to training in Switzerland to achieve the level of performance required to participate in a World Championship or the 2026 Youth Olympic Games (e.g. 2026 in Dakar).

With the Refugee Programmes, we tie in with the ongoing Olympic Solidarity programme of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and bring it to the youth level. These young people should graduate from secondary level I or secondary level II (Sports-KV or International School) at the Talent Campus Bodensee. This gives them prospects for the future so that they can live out their sporting passion and exploit their potential.

These programmes will contribute to the better integration of refugees and strengthen the social cohesion of young people from different backgrounds. Through the exchange of different cultures, we promote intercultural learning. This opens a window to the world for the young people of Switzerland and gives the young refugees the chance to mature into personalities through their passion.

Refugee Switzerland

The Refugee Programme Switzerland started in 2022. Over the next four years, up to 15 young elite sports talents who have received asylum in Switzerland will be able to develop their talent in sports. The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) and the Federal Office for Sport (BASPO) support this programme.

Refugee International

The Refugee Programme International ties in directly with Olympic Solidarity’s ongoing Refugee Support Programme and brings it to the youth level. We want to give young sports talents with recognized refugee status in a foreign host country the opportunity to pursue their passion for sports in Switzerland and enable them to obtain an international school-leaving certificate (Cambridge International A Level Certificate).