10 Refugees will compete as their own team in Rio

When the Games begin in Rio de Janeiro, the opening ceremony, on Friday, will pay tribute to the world’s displaced and stateless persons. During the parade of nations, a team of ten young refugees will enter Maracanã Stadium as their own team—a first in Olympic history.

The ten team members—six men and four women—were announced in June. All have fled conflicts in their home countries. There are two swimmers from Syria, two judokas from the Democratic Republic of Congo, a marathoner from Ethiopia, and five middle-distance runners from South Sudan. They were selected by the International Olympic Committee from among forty-three athletes nominated for the team. Their talents, their refugee status, and their personal situations were all factors in the final decision, the I.O.C.’s Rachel Rominger told me.

In announcing the team, Thomas Bach, the president of the I.O.C., said, “These refugees have no home, no team, no flag, no national anthem. We will offer them a home in the Olympic Village, together with all the athletes of the word. The Olympic anthem will be played in their honor, and the Olympic flag will lead them into the Olympic Stadium.” Bach continued, “These refugee athletes will show the world that despite the unimaginable tragedies that they have faced, anyone can contribute to society through their talent, skills, and strength of the human spirit.”

The United Nations estimates that there are now more than sixty-five million people forcibly displaced from their homes. More than twenty-one million are refugees, most under the age of eighteen. More than half of these fled from one of three countries—Somalia, Afghanistan, or Syria. Ten million forcibly displaced people are stateless. The number of the displaced goes up by an average of thirty-four thousand every day.

The new team will participate in the parade of nations during this Friday’s opening ceremony. The ceremony will also pay tribute to the world’s displaced millions.

The team consists of ten athletes—two swimmers from Syria, two judo competitors from the Democratic Republic of Congo, a long-distance runner from Ethiopia and five middle-distance runners from South Sudan—who have all fled war in their countries.

Yusra Mardini, a swimmer who actually pulled the boat she escaped Syria on to safety, told USA Today:

A lot of things happened in our lives and it was really bad. But life will not stop for you, your pain, your problems. At some point, you have to move on. …
A lot of people are (expecting) a lot from us. A lot of people have hope in us and we can’t let them down.

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~Wakenya Canada