Source: Mission Network News, July 4, 2016
We’re about a month away now from the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and ten refugee athletes will be participating in the newly formed Refugee Olympic Team.
The athletes will compete in swimming, track, and judo. Their countries of origin include Syria, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Their team represents to refugees worldwide that although they don’t have a country, they still have a voice.
Open Doors USA’s Emily Fuentes says it also puts faces to the refugee crisis. “I think representation truly does matter in situations like this and brings attention to this unprecedented refugee crisis that we’re having in our world right now. It’s not just Syria, it’s not just Iraq, but it’s several other countries where there’s violence against people of different faiths, of different backgrounds.”
» Read full story and read the athletes’ biographies.
» See also Fran Pratt’s litany for refugees.