All eyes will be on the penultimate team entering the stadium at the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympic Games. Refugees will be hitting the headlines again, but this time for positive reasons: reflecting the athletes’ verve to continue with their sporting ambitions, despite being made stateless.

In a move which reflects the unifying power of sport, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is supporting a team of Refugee Olympic Athletes (ROA) in Rio.

The IOC has identified 43 athletes with promise, who are vying for places on the team, to be announced in June. The team is expected to comprise of between five and 10 athletes, all of whom must have official refugee status verified by the United Nations, and who have been nominated by National Olympic Committees for their sporting ability.

Given the athletes don’t have a nation to represent, they will march under the Olympic flag and Olympic anthem. As well as helping talented refugees to fulfil their sporting dreams, the IOC is hoping the ROA will shine a light on the refugee crisis.

Building it up
Pere Miró, director of Olympic Solidarity and NOC Relations, says: “We believe they will send a clear message to the world that the refugee situation exists, and all of us together should do something about it. It is global and it is very important.

“Through the ROA, we can demonstrate that sport has values, which these days are sometimes put in doubt for various reasons. By bringing these athletes back to the Games, back to sport, back to life, and by bringing sport to the refugee camps to improve the quality of life, we can believe we are going back to our roots and demonstrating that sport can serve society.”

Having faced terror and life threatening circumstances, we might assume that having Olympic athletes to represent them might not be top of the list for refugees. But global campaigning network, Care 2, says it will give them a sense of belonging: “For refugees seeking normality and a place in the world, validation at the Olympics carries powerful symbolism. Moreover, it sends a message to a global community that has not always welcomed refugees: they, too, are human, with the same dreams and potential as everyone else.”

The move has also been welcomed by Toby Green who runs a refugee football team in Swindon: “The fact the team will walk in the opening ceremony will put the refugee crisis into the media – but this time in a positive light: showing the public that refugees are often intelligent, athletic and hard working.”