Refugee Olympic Team Gets Ready for Rio 2016

On Friday 5 August, the Refugee Olympic Team will walk into the Opening Ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and embark on a journey as the first refugee team in the history of the modern Olympic Games.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has created a resources page containing background info and fact sheets, details of the refugee athletes with accompanying photos and videos, media contacts, related social media links, plus a link to UNHCR’s #WithRefugees campaign.

[ Indian Athletes Get Ready for the Olympics Picnic ]

The various #TeamRefugees fan club social accounts, managed in collaboration with partners, will share videos and photos following the Team’s journey to Rio and activities during the Olympic Games, as well as messages of support and the reaction of refugee communities across the world.

Fans can show their support for the Team in various ways, including by signing the #WithRefugees petition.

The #WithRefugees petition will be delivered to UN headquarters in New York ahead of the UN General Assembly high-level summit to address large movements of refugees and migrants, on September 19.

The petition asks governments to ensure education for every refugee child, safe life for refugee families, and learning environment for refugees.

Photo / Video courtesy: UNHCR