This year at the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics, for the first time in the event's long history, there will be a delegation specifically dedicated to refugees who have been pushed from their native countries for varying reasons. Now to some, this may not seem like a big deal, and something that is not newsworthy, but this couldn't be farther from the truth. This 10 person team not only is a chance for they themselves to be represented at the games, but also to give refugees all around the world a voice in the grandest stage of sports, and bring further awareness to this growing problem around the world.
These athletes will participate in the Olympics under a brand new team, the ROT, or Refugee Olympic Team. Not only that, but their flag will be none other than the Olympic rings. They will be marching in the opening ceremonies, followed by the Brazilian team.
Some athletes who are a part of the ROT are Rami Anis and Yusra Mardini. Both are Syrian refugees who were displaced due to the great unrest in Syria. Rami, a swimmer, decided to flee Syria and his home town of Aleppo after in 2011 when the Syrian Civil War was just beginning. He then lived with his brother in Turkey, and after a while, decided to go across to the Greek island of Samos, where he was welcomed. He now lives and trains in Belgium.
Yusra Mardini, another competitive swimmer, grew up in Damascus and trained with backing from the Syrian Olympic Committee. But in 2015, she and her sister left Syria after their home was destroyed as a result of civil war. They then made it to Turkey, and managed to be smuggled into Greece. But then when the dinghy's motor stopped working, Yusra and three others helped guide the boat for over three hours to the country of Lesbos. From there, they made their way to Germany, and now reside there with her sister and parents.
These and the many others have gone through so much, and yet they, like all the other athletes, simply want to compete. Training to be an Olympic athlete is a difficult commitment under the best conditions but having to be a refugee from your home country makes it much harder. Most have relocated to a new home in a new country that they are not familiar with. Even with all of the turmoil in their home countries these athletes stand determined and proud before the world to compete.
