Olympics Refugees out to soak the biggest stage

While the rest of competing nations at the Rio 2016 Games are charged to chase the medals, simply appearing at the biggest sporting event on the planet is a victory for the Olympics Refugees Team that will compete at the quadrennial showpiece for the first time in history.

The International Olympics Committee (IOC) decided to give the squad made up of refugees fleeing from internal strife from diverse countries such as Southern Sudan to Syria its own flag to compete in Brazil to highlight their plight in the grandest stage of them all.

Former world women marathon record holder and respected global peace ambassador, Tegla Loroupe, is the team’s Chef-de-Mission and her athletes cannot wait to mingle with the biggest names in sport at the Summer Games that will run from August 5 to 21.

Yiech Pur Biel, 21, is looking forward to finally meet 800m Olympics and World Champion, David Rudisha in person, when he lines for the two-lap event in Rio. Besides that, he is also hopeful sports will help him re-unite with his family in Southern Sudan.

“I feel happy because this is the first time that a refugee is actually going to participate at the Olympics. We are the ambassadors of over a million others worldwide and we are going to show the world that refugees have talent too. It’s only that they don’t have a platform to showcase their talents.

“Rudisha is my role model and I will be more than happy if just happen to run the same heat with him or meet him at the semis. It would give me a lot of hope and inspiration. I hope I will learn a lot from him to be just like him,” Pur stated.

His teammate, Rose Nathike Lokonyen, 23 will  be participating in the women 800m event and is destined to face global stars such as London 2012 silver Caster Semenya (South Africa), Moscow 2013 world champion, Eunice Sum and Burundi’s World Indoor titleholder, Francine Niyonsaba.

She is aspiring to give a good account despite the imposing challenge she faces to make it to the medal race.

“I actually did not know I could run. When we had inter-competitions in our school, I would just run and at times win as my teachers encouraged me though I did not take it serious. I hope to do well since I’m going to meet world champions no matter how they ran I shall do my best,” she confidently underlined.

The group 10 athletes who booked their tickets during the Olympics Trials held at Kakuma Refugee Camp that faces closure by the Kenyan Government will participate in various disciplines including track and field, Swimming and Judo.

“The team has been training well in Ngong and I hope they  perform well in Rio. If they happen to win a medal, IOC will recognize them since they will be running under their flag. But as Kenya being the hosts, we hope to come back as victors,” Loroupe told Citizen Digital.

The team departs for Rio on Thursday.