Featured image credit: Jae C. Hong/Press Association
The Rio Olympics has barely begun and it has already smashed one Olympic record, if nothing else. For the first time in history, a team of refugee athletes were granted their place at the Olympic Games.
The 10 proud athletes marched into the roaring stadium at the Olympic opening ceremony and were greeted by a standing ovation.
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Take a look at this video uploaded as a tweet and the crowd cheering once the refugee team is announced. The person who uploaded it is the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
Credit: Flippo Grandi
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Carrying the Olympic flag, the athletes hailing from Syria, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Democratic Republic of Congo embraced the massive reaction from the audience.
Image credit: Michael Sohn/Press Association
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Having overcome some incredible hurdles to be at the Games, the refugees were chosen from 43 promising candidates to compete at the 31st Olympiad, reports the Daily Mail.
One of the hopeful competitors is 18-year-old Yusra Mardini. Fleeing war-torn Syria along with her sister, the pair made the dangerous journey to the Greek island of Lesbos in a dinghy carrying 20 asylum seekers.
Mardini will be competing in the 100-metre butterfly and freestyle heats today and in Wednesday's swimming competitions.
According to the United Nations, there are 21 million refugees in the world and five million of them are expected to come from Syria alone.
Let the Games begin.
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Words: Hamish Kilburn
Featured Image Credit:Topics: olympics
