Highly qualified athletes who are refugees will be allowed to compete in the Olympic Games for the first time.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach made the announcement at the UN General Assembly which adopted a resolution urging all countries to stop fighting and observe a truce during the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Bach appealed to all 193 UN member states to help the IOC identify talented refugee athletes.
"This will be a symbol of hope for all the refugees in our world, and will make the world better aware of the magnitude of this crisis," he said.
Until now, Bach said, qualified refugee athletes were not able to participate because they couldn't represent their home country and its national Olympic committee.
But he said the IOC had decided to welcome refugee athletes to the 2016 Games where they will live in the Olympic Village alongside the other 11,000 athletes from 206 national Olympic committees.
"Having no national team to belong to, having no flag to march behind, having no national anthem to be played, these refugee athletes will be welcomed to the Olympic Games with the Olympic flag and with the Olympic anthem," he said.
There are about 20 million refugees in the world - and the number is growing. UN refugee chief Antonio Guterres said earlier this month that more than 500,000 refugees and economic migrants had entered Europe this year, and thousands more were following in their footsteps.
Bach said the IOC had created a $A2.75 million fund "to bring hope through sport to refugees".
"At the same time, we are assisting high-level refugee athletes to continue their sports careers," he said. "We help them to make their dream of sporting excellence come true even when they have to flee from violence and hunger."
But Bach said the IOC needed help in identifying more high-level refugee athletes.
He stressed that in Olympic sports, "all people are equal, regardless of their race, gender, social status, cultural background, faith or belief". He said the Olympic Games were the culmination of this vision and the principle of non-discrimination.
Bach alluded to world football's corruption-hit governing body, FIFA, telling the General Assembly the IOC "has ensured that we are in compliance with the highest standards of good governance and transparency".
"In this respect, we are asking other major sports organisations to undertake the necessary and swift reforms in order to restore their reputation," the IOC president said.
Bach's proclamation comes as Europe attempts to cope with a surge in refugees fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
"At present, none of these athletes would have the chance to participate in the Olympic Games even if qualified from the sports point of view because, with their refugee status, they are left without a home country and National Olympic Committee to represent," said Bach.
"Having no national team to belong to, having no flag to march behind, having no national anthem to be played, these refugee athletes will be welcomed to the Olympic Games with the Olympic flag and with the Olympic anthem.
"They will have a home together with all the other 11,000 athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees in the Olympic Village."
