At this years Olympic Games in Rio, history will be made as 10 selected athletes will compete in the first ever Refugee Olympic Team. Competing under the Olympic flag, the six male and four female athletes will walk into the opening ceremony at the Maracana Stadium ahead of host country Brazil.
Thomas Bach, the current IOC President explained why having a refugee team is so important:
The 10 Athletes selected for the team are:
• Rami Anis (M): Country of origin – Syria; host NOC – Belgium; sport – swimming
• Yiech Pur Biel (M): Country of origin – South Sudan; host NOC – Kenya; sport – athletics, 800m
• James Nyang Chiengjiek (M): Country of origin – South Sudan; host NOC – Kenya; sport – athletics, 400m
• Yonas Kinde (M): Country of origin – Ethiopia; host NOC – Luxembourg; sport – athletics, marathon
• Anjelina Nada Lohalith (F): Country of origin – South Sudan; host NOC – Kenya; sport – athletics, 1500m
• Rose Nathike Lokonyen (F): Country of origin – South Sudan; host NOC – Kenya; sport – athletics, 800m
• Paulo Amotun Lokoro (M): Country of origin – South Sudan; host NOC – Kenya; sport – athletics, 1500m
• Yolande Bukasa Mabika (F): Country of origin – Democratic Republic of the Congo; host NOC – Brazil; sport – judo, -70kg
• Yusra Mardini (F): Country of origin – Syria; host NOC – Germany; sport – swimming
• Popole Misenga (M): Country of origin – Democratic Republic of the Congo; host NOC – Brazil; sport – judo, -90kg
To further the announcement of the athletes on the team, the Chef de Mission has also been revealed, former Marathon World Record Holder Tegla Loroupe.
Tegla is an IAAF (International Amateur Athletics Federation) Ambassador and a retired marathon runner from Kenya. Having achieved huge success in her own athletics career, Tegla went on to establish the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation in 2003. The foundation is a Peace and Development organization that promotes peaceful co-existence and socio-economic development of poor and marginalized individuals and communities in Northern Kenya and the Greater Horn of Africa Region.
Back in March 2016 at the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, where over 18,000 refugees are held, Tegla commented about her experience of working with some of the then potential Olympians.
“This is something special,” she said. “Everyone can be a refugee, now they have this incredible opportunity to stand out. They want to be ambassadors.”
The appointment of Tegla Loroupe makes a huge statement to the World about equality in sport, both for the refugees themselves and for gender equality. Teal was a role model for African women as became the first woman from an African Nation to win the New York Marathon, followed by a host of World Championship medals and world records.
“When I won there so many women that say, ‘Tegla we know you are struggle, we translate in real life in our women’.
Now Tegla can continue her inspiring legacy as she leads the first ever Refugee Team to the Olympic Games.
