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
Where fitness meets kindness: GoodGym is getting people moving and giving back
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL On a chilly, damp evening in south London, a group of runners is doing something a little different. There ...
Read MoreCan dogs get the winter blues? What to know about seasonal depression in pets
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM It’s not just you; winter really can bring a certain mood. The shorter days, chilly weather, and long, ...
Read MoreHistoric global agreement protects international waters
For the first time ever, 193 nations have reached a conservation agreement on the High Seas Treaty, which intends to designate 30 percent of ...
Read More‘Queen of Salsa’ Celia Cruz is first Afro-Latina to be honored on...
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Celia Cruz, the renowned "Queen of Salsa," has been the first Afro-Latina to appear on a US quarter, ...
Read More
