Athletes that want to compete in the Olympics but have become refugees are put in an unusual predicament. They can’t compete for the country they’ve fled as a result of war or persecution, but have yet to secure citizenship elsewhere. Now for the first time, a team of refugees will compete at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro under the Olympic flag and the Olympic Anthem. Athletes have competed under the Olympic flag before, like the South Sudan refugee who ran the marathon during the summer Olympics in 2012, but this is the first time an entire sanctioned team of refugees will be assembled. The International Olympic Committee will provide their uniforms and entourage to meet all their technical needs, and wants to send a message of hope for all refugees in the world with the creation of this team.
For the first time a team composed of refugees will compete in the Olympics
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