The Olympics begin tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro, and ten athletes who fled their countries and their homes will be competing in the games.
It is a diverse group with members from Syria, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Refugee Olympic Team is a signal of hope.
At a time when more than 65 million people are displaced, many of them children, the participation of the team in Rio sends a powerful signal of hope to refugees around the world. Further, the team aims to promote unity among refugees of various backgrounds and overcome divisions with host comunities. In the words of Yusra Mardini, 18, a Team Refugees swimmer, “You’re an athlete; you don’t think like you’re Syrian or from London or from Germany. You will just think about the race. You have your lane, your swimming cap, your swimming lesson. That’s it.”
The Refugee Olympic Team members feel it’s important to tell their stories to the world.
Two of the athletes on the The Refugee Olympic Team, Yusra Mardini and Yiech Pur, help give a voice to children caught up in the world’s largest refugee crisis.
Here is Yusra’s story:
Yiech’s Story
Forced to flee the fighting in South Sudan in 2005 at the age of 9, Yiech Pur Biel, now 21, ended up on his own in a refugee camp in northern Kenya.
Yet this August, the 21-year-old will compete in the 800m race at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Please follow the Refugees Olympic Team’s efforts, and cheer for them on Twitter and Facebook.
