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Refugee Team Picked By International Olympic Committee For Rio Olympics

By Robert Haggarty
Published on: 11:13 PST, Jun 3, 2016

A “refugee team” was picked by the IOC — International Olympic Committee — on Friday in Geneva for the first time in Olympic history.

ESPN reported that IOC President Thomas Bach made this statement:

“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 world. The Olympic anthem will be played in their honor, and the Olympic flag will lead them into the Olympic Stadium.”

The refugee team picked will consist of 10 members, which can be seen below, and was provided by the official Rio 2016 website.

  • Rami Anis (male): Country of origin – Syria; sport – swimming
  • Yiech Pur Biel (male): Country of origin – South Sudan; sport – athletics, (800m)
  • James Nyang Chiengjiek (male): Country of origin – South Sudan; sport – athletics (400m)
  • Yonas Kinde (male): Country of origin – Ethiopia; sport – athletics (marathon)
  • Anjelina Nada Lohalith (female): Country of origin – South Sudan; sport – athletics (1500m)
  • Rose Nathike Lokonyen (female): Country of origin – South Sudan; sport – athletics (800m)
  • Paulo Amotun Lokoro (male): Country of origin – South Sudan; sport – athletics (1500m)
  • Yolande Bukasa Mabika (female): Country of origin – Democratic Republic of the Congo; sport – judo, (70kg)
  • Yusra Mardini (female): Country of origin – Syria; sport – swimming
  • Popole Misenga (male): Country of origin – Democratic Republic of the Congo; sport – judo (-90kg)

The picked refugee team members will also be covered by the Olympics in terms of any airfare and preparation, and will also be taking care of the refugees after the games are over, reported the Olympics official website.

The move to bring people of different nationalities together through their mutual experience as refugees is a bold attempt by the Olympics to bring more attention to the much heated topic of human displacement, and the picked refugee team will certainly have their hands full as they compete alongside the best athletes in the world, many of whom may have easier access to better equipment and facilities than those forced to live as refugees.

As one of the refugee team members picked to compete in judo, Yolande Bukasa Mabika, 28, pictured on the right of Popole Misenga in the Rio 2016 Twitter account post below, explained that she started to learn judo in a UNICEF refugee camp around the age of 10, but soon afterwards mentioned that “if you didn’t medal they would starve us. It was a tough life, very tough,” reported NPR.

Mabika arrived in Brazil to compete with the Congo’s national judo team three years ago, but after her coach disappeared with all of their money and documentation, Mabika became a refugee yet again, and as NPR also reported, she, along with a fellow team member, took to sleeping in a hair salon which was run by some African woman that took them in for a few weeks.

Through this tough life, however, has come dedication and passion for judo, and as one of the refugee team members picked, Mabika now has the opportunity to not only represent her country, but also people all around the world who have lost their homes, whether it be due to war and conflict, a natural disaster, or some other reason.

“It’s the dream of every sportsperson to be in the Olympics. It’s a chance you will never forget. If I ever have my own family, I will tell my children everything I have been through in my life to get here.”

Another refugee team member picked is Yusra Mardini, 18, who is a swimmer, and hails from war-torn Syria.

Mardini came very close to dying as she was trying to reach Greece in a boat filled with other refugees, which started to take on water, and forced her to hop into the Mediterranean and push the boat from behind until they reached shore.

The Washington Post reported the Associated Press as saying that when asked how she felt about being picked as a refugee team member, Mardini proclaimed, “I can’t describe how happy I am. I almost cried.”

After reaching Greece, Mardini and her sister managed to reach Germany, where they currently reside.

Mardini also says that she wants to stay realistic about her chances of winning a medal in Rio, noting that even if she doesn’t win as a refugee in Rio, she hopes to compete in the 2020 games in Tokyo.

The games are set to begin on August 6.

[Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images]

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