This Olympic Team Is The Most Inspiring Yet

This 10-person team was unique. And at a time when the scariest aspects of nationalism are too apparent in the United States and elsewhere, a reminder that we are all human, regardless of whether or not we have a flag or an anthem, is crucial. She is 18 years old.

By the end of the Olympic Games, there will be millions of people cheering for refugees…

At that moment during the opening ceremony these Refugees were honored and celebrated.

Right now, the world is experiencing the largest refugee crisis since World War II. Fences are erected, walls mooted. It is also a signal to the worldwide community that refugees are our fellow human beings and are an enrichment to society. Thinly veiled xenophobia extols making our nation great, as if keeping out the other improves our standing in some cosmic contest.

Olympics being all about National glory and national pride, this time has a Refugee Team consisting of participants who have no flag, no national anthem to play and no nation wide support.

Yet the greatness of those 10 individuals lies not in athletic ability but in their spirit and character. However, Artur Lipori, one of the founding organizers of Refugee Nation, told Mashable that the International Olympic Committee did allow his group to deliver the flag to athletes and supporters. When she was 10 years old, Rose and her family fled what is now southern Sudan to Kenya. While Olympic athletes seek a medal, 21-yr old Anjelina Nadai Lohalith, also from southern Sudan, seeks something far more valuable, her parents. There are hundreds of thousands like them all over the world who have fled persecution, war and hunger in search of a safe and secured life, each carrying a unique and compelling story. I’m participating in the Olympics, and I thank God for that.

Who is he? Yonas left Ethiopia due to political problems and has been living in Luxembourg since 2013.

JEFFREY BROWN: Filippo Grandi visited the five as they trained in Kenya, and it was there he became convinced this refugee team could both compete with world-class athletes, and have an impact beyond Rio.

International Olympic Committee president, Thomas Bach, said the inclusion of the Refugee Team would bring global attention to the magnitude of the refugee crisis and send a message to the world.

However, this year’s team of Olympic refugees chose to, instead of drown in the waters of loss and grief, constructively use the unfortunate circumstances life has brought them to their advantage. “We’re all really proud to be part of this team”, says Anis. How can you help?

Now, widespread support is sweeping across social media outlets in favour of “Team Refugees”.

FILIPPO GRANDI: We knew that these were people coming from hardship, often living in hard conditions in refugee camps, having gone through very hard situations. You do not get there merely by enduring, but by overcoming.

Filippo Grandi, U.N. high commissioner for refugees, was there, and spoke with us yesterday from his Geneva headquarters.