For the first time, refugee athletes will be allowed to compete in the Olympics. In a time when tensions in Europe rise with the influx of more and more refugees, this is a warm signal. International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach announced this week that at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro games, refugees will be welcomed with the Olympic flag and the Olympic anthem. Bach said the Olympic values of peace, solidarity and tolerance ask for a change of rules, allowing athletes without a national team to compete. The IOC also created a 2 million dollar fund to “bring hope through sport to refugees”, and has called on the member states to help identify high-level refugee athletes that could compete in the games.
Refugee athletes allowed to compete at the 2016 Rio Games under Olympic flag
More of Today's Solutions
How citizen scientists are driving tangible change in Australia
Citizen science has evolved as a formidable force in conservation, propelled by regular people's passion and dedication to conserving our planet's irreplaceable ecosystems. Citizen ...
Read MoreMeet Dr. Wade: writer of thousands of Wikipedia pages for women scientists
Though the world has made some strides in gender equality, there is certainly still room for improvement, especially in the field of science, technology, ...
Read MoreArt preserves endangered flora in Himalayas—where conservation and culture co...
"In 2002, I was returning to Kalimpong in the eastern Himalaya region of India, and I found numerous trees had been cut down for ...
Read MorePrescribed thinning and controlled burns critical in preventing California wi...
A pioneering two-decade-long study done in California's Sierra Nevada mountains confirms the effectiveness of forest management strategies such as restorative thinning and regulated burning ...
Read More
