They represent 82 million uprooted people around the world
Refugee Olympic Team Members Tell Stories of Torment and Victory
The Refugee Olympic Team represents the millions of refugees around the world who have been forced to flee their homes and homes.
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Yusra Mardini's story is one of many stories of extraordinary torment and victory that the refugee team recount.
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The Refugee Olympic Team, which appeared at the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, provided a moving spectacle for the audience.
It consisted of 30 athletes carrying the Olympic flag, walking alongside the delegations of other countries participating in the Games.
Rather than representing their countries, these refugees represent the millions of refugees around the world who have been forced to flee their homes and homelands.
The team is made up of exceptional people who have overcome great difficulties in order to survive, not to mention training as world-class athletes.
Spread the story
Several of them were part of the refugee team five years ago, including Yusra Mardini, a Syrian swimmer and a refugee from her country's civil war.
And her amazing story spread like wildfire.
When the overloaded boat she was riding in the Aegean wrecked, Yusra and her sister jumped into the sea and swam for three hours until they reached safety.
Yusra's story is one of many stories of extraordinary torment and victory that the refugee team recounts.
During the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, about five years ago, the number of refugees who were forced to leave their homes was about 65 million people.
But this year the number rose to 82 million.
If this number of refugees live in the "refugee country", it will be ranked 20th in terms of population in the world, between Thailand and Germany.
Several reasons to flee
There are many reasons why many people are fleeing their homes, such as war and violence, climate change, and economic injustice.
What makes it even more cruel is that the displacement of people from their homes in large numbers has become a normal and accepted matter in our world these days.
The global warming and climate chaos has become so severe that climate refugees are growing exponentially everywhere in the world.
Wars, including many in which the United States is involved, continue to drive millions of people to flee their homes.
Extreme poverty, inequality and global pandemics are forcing more and more poor people to flee in search of work, food and safety.
It is not enough to honor millions of refugees with their own Olympic team, they need rights, not medals.
As long as millions remain displaced, it will remain important to create large and global movements to protect their rights.
Unfortunately, these rights are often denied in a region that stretches from the perilous Mediterranean waters where many refugee boats have sunk to the arid US-Mexico border.
It is a really bleak reality that there are more homeless now than at any time since World War II, yes there are so many refugees that the "refugee country" seems to be a permanent feature of the Olympics.
Bravery
However, the courage of these exceptional young athletes at the Olympic Games keeps the plight of refugees, and the responsibility of our governments for this plight, before the eyes of the world.
But what is much more beautiful, and immeasurably better than medals, is that these athletes and the 82 million refugees they represent can go home.
To homes of their own and their families, whether in their countries or abroad, safe from wars, disasters and poverty, which prompted them to flee their homes in the first place.
During the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, about five years ago, the number of refugees who were forced to leave their homes was about 65 million people. But this year the number rose to 82 million.
There are many reasons why many people are fleeing their homes, such as war and violence, climate change, and economic injustice. What makes it even more cruel is that the displacement of people from their homes in large numbers has become a natural matter.
• It is not enough to honor millions of refugees with their own Olympic team, they need rights, not medals.
Phyllis Pence ■ is a writer and activist focused on the Middle East
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