To support refugees and people facing crises around the world, the International Olympic Committee created the Refugee Olympic Team. Refugee athletes have been invited to compete in the Olympic Games since 2016. Here are two refugee athletes and their stories.
Yusra Mardini is a swimmer who grew up in
the war-torn country of Syria. Due to the unstable
political situation there, Yusra sometimes had to
train in pools under roofs that had been blown open
by bombings.
In 2015 when she was just a 17-year-old, her
house was destroyed in the civil war, so she decided
to flee her home country. She managed to reach
Turkey through Lebanon. From Turkey, she boarded
a small boat that held 20 people and set sail into the
deep waters of the Aegean Sea. But 30 minutes later,
the engine stopped and the boat began to sink. Yusra
dove into the cold water, and—with the help of her
sister and two men—swam and pushed the boat for
over three hours to reach the Greek island of Lesbos.
They saved everyone aboard.
Yusra eventually settled in Germany and has
since worked to inspire others to pursue their
dreams. Her incredible story and superior swimming
skills won her the opportunity to participate in the
Olympic Games. She was a member of the Refugee
Olympic Team for both the 2016 Rio Games and
2021 Tokyo Games.
Popole Misenga was born in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo. When he was nine, the
country’s civil war claimed the life of his mother
and left him homeless. Escaping from the war zone,
he wandered alone for a week in a rainforest before
being rescued and taken to a center for displaced
children in the capital, Kinshasa.
There, Popole discovered judo, from which he
gained strength in body and mind. “Judo helped me
by giving me serenity, discipline, commitment—
everything,” he said. He trained hard and became a
professional judoka. However, each time he lost a
competition, his coaches would lock him in a cage
for days, feeding him only coffee and bread.
Finally, when he was cruelly abused for not
winning medals at the 2013 World Championships
in Brazil, he decided to seek protection.
Popole was granted asylum in 2014 by
Brazilian government and later continued judo
training at a youth facility. He made his Olympic
debut at Rio 2016. He also represented the Refugee
Olympic Team in 2021 Tokyo Games.
With her amazing courage and swimming skills， Yusra Mardini was not only able to save lives but also fulfill her dream of ___(A)__ in the Olympic Games.
Judo helped Popole Misenga to be strong both physically and mentally， and gave him the courage to escape from the ___(B)__ of his coaches.
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To support refugees and people facing crises around the world, the International Olympic Committee created the Refugee Olympic Team. Refugee athletes have been invited to compete in the Olympic Games since 2016. Here are two refugee athletes and their stories.
