2016 is a historic year for the Olympics, for it features the first ever refugee team. And they are unlike any other national team in the competition – because they aren’t competing for glory, but for the millions of uprooted refugees all over the world.
In a truly inspiring video, the United Nations Human Rights Commission has revealed the trailer for ‘#TeamRefugees: Champions Against the Odds’. “Against all odds, 10 refugees will compete in Rio. Because those driven from their home are also driven to achieve,” reads the description.
Interspersed with shots of refugee athletes training and some of them fleeing, the video provides a thought-provoking juxtaposition of where they come from and how their lives change irreversibly because of these experiences.
Watch the 90-second trailer here.
The documentary film will release on UNHCR’s YouTube channel as well as the Google UK Homepage. Through the film, UNHCR is campaigning for viewers to sign the #WithRefugees petition. The Commission also wants “to send a clear message to governments that they must act with solidarity and shared responsibility.”
Last month, videos featuring some of the refugees and their journeys were posted on UNHCR’s YouTube channel. Rose here, escaped the war in South Sudan when she was a child and discovered her talent in Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp.
Popole Misenga, a Judo athlete, says he wants to represent all the refugees in the world.
You can watch the rest of the videos in a playlist here.