Winners of Olympic medals are often called heroes for the pride they bring to their countries. This year, in the 2016 Rio Olympics, there are 10 competitors who are heroes, even if they do not win a single medal.
For the first time in Olympic history, a refugee team is competing. Ten athletes, who are competining in events from judo to marathon running, are serving as a “symbol of hope” for refugees.
Who are these athletes? What are their stories?
Rami Anis, a swimmer, fled Syria with his family to Turkey, then crossed the sea to Greece in a dinghy. He competed on Tuesday this week, achieving a personal best. Yusra Mardini, a swimmer from Syria, swam in the Mediterranean Sea for three hours after she jumped off to keep her overcrowded refugee boat from capsizing, eventually reaching Lesbos.
Yiech Pur Biel, a runner from South Sudan, fled that country’s civil war as a teenager and settled on his own in a Kenyan refugee camp. He said, “Even if I will not get gold or silver, I will show the world that being a refugee, you can do something.”
Other runners from South Sudan also include James Nyang Chiengjiek, Rose Nathike Lokonyen, Anjelina Nadai Lohalith and Paulo Amuton Lokoro. Yonas Kinde is a runner from Ethiopia.
Two refugee Olympians are judokas from the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Yolande Bukasa Mabika and Popole Misenga.
The inclusion of a refugee team at the 2016 Olympics reflects the immense refugee crisis and shines a light on the plight of millions of people displaced by war and persecution across the world. We hope their representation at the Olympics stimulates the needed change.
Copyright © 2016 by the Intermountain Jewish News
