The International Olympic Committee has announced a 10-person "all-refugee" team that will compete at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro this summer. "The 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," IOC President Thomas Bach said Friday.
It is the first time a refugee team has competed in the Olympics, and they will function just as any other team, but with their expenses footed by the IOC, Al Jazeera reports.
The team is made up of:
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Rami Anis (M): Syria; swimmingYiech Pur Biel (M): South Sudan; athletics, 800mJames Nyang Chiengjiek (M): South Sudan; athletics, 400mYonas Kinde (M): Ethiopia; athletics, marathonAnjelina Nada Lohalith (F): South Sudan; athletics, 1500mRose Nathike Lokonyen (F): South Sudan; athletics, 800mPaulo Amotun Lokoro (M): South Sudan; athletics, 1500mYolande Bukasa Mabika (F): Democratic Republic of the Congo; judo, -70kgYusra Mardini (F): Syria; swimmingPopole Misenga (M): Democratic Republic of the Congo; judo, -90kg
"Their participation in the Olympics is a tribute to the courage and perseverance of all refugees in overcoming adversity and building a better future for themselves and their families," UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said.
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