Refugee athletes appeared in Rio with the slogan: I felt love.
On August 12 a year ago, when Maldini surfaced, she was still immersed in the cold Aegean Sea. In front of her, there was only a boat that was seriously overloaded and broke down, and more than a dozen people on board fled the war with her. Because most other people on board couldn't swim, Maldini, who was the key training object of the Syrian Olympic Committee's swimming program at that time, stepped forward. In order to survive, Maldini and his sister swam in a small boat in the cold sea for three hours and finally reached the Greek coast.
Now, when Maldini surfaced, she saw the whole audience cheering and paying tribute to her. Women's 100 meter butterfly preliminaries in the first group, Maldini won the first place in the group with 1: 09: 2 1. Although this score was only 4 1 among all 45 people, she was able to leave her war-torn home and jump into the swimming pool of the Olympic Games. Has she finished? Mission impossible? . Swimming not only helped her and her family escape from the cold sea, but also helped her escape from her present life? Suffering sea? Brought hope.
Paolo Maldini's nine teammates in this Olympic Games have rekindled their hopes in sports. At the opening ceremony of Rio Olympic Games, a delegation of 10 refugee athletes walked into Maracana Stadium with the Olympic rings in their hands, which caused deafening cheers. Each of them has his own tragic experience, but they are lucky. They can be selected at different levels to represent refugees from all over the world in the Olympic Games and change their life trajectory through sports.
From fleeing the war to boarding the world-famous Olympic Games, the lives of these refugee athletes have undergone earth-shaking changes in at least these ten days. Faced with countless spotlights and cameras, they experienced an atmosphere from being at a loss to relaxing and enjoying the Olympics.
This is the first time that a refugee team has appeared in the Olympic Games, and the training expenses of athletes are borne by the International Olympic Committee. But the IOC not only wants to pass the torch of hope to the participating 10 refugee athletes, but also wants to change the fate of more refugees through sports. In the view of IOC President Bach, the formation of a refugee delegation can make the international community pay more attention to the refugee crisis. ? Their appearance at the Olympic Games brought hope to all the refugees in the world. Isabella, a staff member of UNHCR, said that she is also an official of the refugee delegation. The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games was broadcast live simultaneously in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, Africa. The five athletes of the refugee delegation came from the largest refugee camp in the world. When they entered the stadium, the 200,000 refugees living here cheered for them. These unfortunate people also felt hope and strength in the flag bearer lockyer En.
For 10 athletes who participated in this competition, it is their future goal to get their lives on track through sports. After being officially accepted as a German refugee at the beginning of the year, Maldini started normal training in a swimming club, which made her look forward to her future life. ? Syria and Germany are both my homes. I haven't decided who I will represent in the Tokyo Olympics. Maldini said,? Of course, the International Olympic Committee is also my home. ?
? I feel love? Unlike other delegations flying their national flags in the Olympic Village, refugee delegations hung such slogans outside their windows. It was sports that gave them a chance to be born again. They need to pass this hope to every refugee compatriot who is still struggling for life through the Olympic Games.