The Olympic Refugee Team is a group of perseverance. Its athletes will take the field as the winner of the difficulty.
Yusra Mardini of Syria has taken the lead. Also a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, she reached Berlin in 2015 via Lebanon, Turkey, Greece and Central Europe
The history of mankind is the history of migration. For millennia our ancestors have crossed oceans and continents, sought refuge and settled for generations, then raised anchor. In a modern world bordered by nation-states, migration is often carried out under extreme pressure by unlucky souls—to escape horrific persecution, extreme violence, or poverty. Thus ordinary, talented individuals are uprooted and tagged as ‘refugees’. Thirty-five exceptional athletes answering that call will add another dimension to the Tokyo Olympic and Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Each has unlimited reserves of courage and perseverance to make it to the highest playing field. The Olympics is a celebration of inclusion, and so these 35 athletes, who have suffered horrific blows, dodged killing fields and made dangerous journeys, will be part of refugee teams. Six of them, disabled, are in an even more exclusive club.
Refugee para swimmer Abbas Karimi was born without arms in Kabul. Jibs and jiers were common since then…
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