As you watch the Olympics in Rio this week take notice of a small group of athletes who are competing without a country. They are the Olympic Refugee Team. “These refugees have no home, no team, no flag, no national anthem,” International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said when he announced the selected athletes last month.
The IOC came up with the idea of creating a $2 million training fund and shortlisting dozens of athletes caught up in the human conflict sweeping the South Sudan, Syria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia. “We will offer them a home in the Olympic Village together with all the athletes of the world,” Bach said. The refugee team for Rio includes 10 athletes competing in three sports. “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.”
Five of the 10 athletes grew up in the Kakuma refugee camp that we discussed in last week’s blog post. Pere Miro, a top International Olympic Committee official, traveled to Kakuma in Kenya’s northwestern corner and found that sport appeared to be one of the few things keeping refugees going in such a harsh environment. Kakuma has more than 100 football teams, for example, and dozens of basketball teams.
Yusra Mardini, a Syrian swimmer who fled with her sister when their home was destroyed in that ongoing conflict, jumped into the water when their boat began to sink off the coast of Greece and, summoning all of her swimming skills, towed the boat to safety and saved all the occupants. Pope Francis, in a letter to Yusra, wrote,
“…that your courage and strength find expression through the Olympic Games and serve as a cry for peace and solidarity. Your experience serves as testimony and benefits us all.”
I will watch the Rio Olympics this week with a little different eye. With the above stories in mind, I will take particular notice of the courage and determination it takes to compete in any sport at the Olympic level. I’ll notice how all the young athletes have sacrificed the normal comforts of life to achieve a dream that is intensely personal and valuable beyond winning a medal. And, like Pope Francis, I will notice how the testimony of their courage and strength benefits all of us.
