How does the refugee Olympic team work?

How does the refugee Olympic team work?

IOC Refugee Olympic Team The Refugee Olympic Team (EOR) is participating at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 with 29 athletes competing in 12 sports. The Team is sending a message of hope and solidarity to the over 80 million forcibly displaced people in the world.

Why are some athletes competing under the Olympic flag?

Athletes have competed as Independent Olympians at the Olympic Games for various reasons, including political transition, international sanctions, suspensions of National Olympic Committees, and compassion.

Where did Yusra Mardini grow up in Syria?

She grew up in Damascus, Syria. Her talent in the water brought her to the 2012 world championships, where she competed for the Syrian national team. Like many aspiring young athletes, Yusra had Olympic dreams. When the Syrian Civil War broke out in 2011, millions were displaced, including Yusra and her family.

What did Yusra Mardini wear to the Olympics?

Mardini, who competed in last summer’s Rio Olympics, is wearing a purple one-piece, her hair in a smooth ballerina bun. She plunges in and hits the surface as straight as an arrow.

How old was Yusra Mardini when she started swimming?

Yusra was 3 years old when her father, a swimming coach, began training her. She grew up in Damascus, Syria. Her talent in the water brought her to the 2012 world championships, where she competed for the Syrian national team.

Who was in the dinghy with Yusra Mardini?

Yusra, Sarah, and two young men were the only passengers of the twenty on board who knew how to swim. The four jumped into the water and pushed the dinghy across the choppy waters for three and a half hours, to safety on the Greek island of Lesbos.

How tall is Yusra Mardini the Olympic swimmer?

She is smaller than most of the swimmers—five feet five inches tall and 119 pounds—munching on chocolate cake that one of her teammates’ parents made. Spannekrebs brushes the top of her head lightly and teases her about her height. “If she were an inch taller. . . ,” he says, meaning that taller swimmers are usually faster. Mardini rolls her eyes.

Where did Yusra Mardini live as a child?

At home in Daraya, a suburb of Damascus that had once been famous for its furniture production, her Muslim family led a comfortable life. Her mother, Mervat, was a physiotherapist, and her father, Ezzat, was a swimming coach who would take his children to the pool on Saturdays. “He just put us in the water,” Mardini says.

How tall is Mardini spannekrebs of the USA Swimming Team?

Out of the pool, Mardini is strikingly pretty, in black shorts and rhinestone earrings. She is smaller than most of the swimmers—five feet five inches tall and 119 pounds—munching on chocolate cake that one of her teammates’ parents made. Spannekrebs brushes the top of her head lightly and teases her about her height.

Where was Yusra Mardini when she was attacked?

Mardini was unpacking boxes in her new apartment in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf neighborhood, putting away pots and pans, when she turned on the news. She began to call everyone she knew to make sure they were safe. The attack saddened but did not shock her.