Ten young men and women who fled their countries in search of protection. Ten talented athletes who never gave up. This August the first-ever Refugee Olympic Team will compete at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro. Their participation is a tribute to the courage and perseverance of all refugees.
Since the modern Olympics began in 1896, over 200 national teams have vied for glory at the Summer and Winter Games. Now, for the first time, a team of refugees will compete as well. At the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janiero, 10 refugee athletes from four countries will compete together as the Refugee Olympic Team. Among them are two swimmers, two judokas, a marathoner and five medium-distance runners.
Their athletic prowess and resilience is a tribute to the courage and perseverance of all refugees – at a time when the number of people displaced by violence and persecution is at the highest level since the Second World War.
Read the original post at the UNHCR
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