Syrian Swimmer Yusra Mardini Hopes To Compete In Rio Olympics

Berlin: Yusra Mardini, a Syrian swimmer, was swimming through the Aegean ocean in a last-ditch attempt to survive a treacherous sea crossing from Turkey to Greece last year. One year down the line, she is now in the hopes of representing a small team of refugees under the Olympic flag at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Mardini is one of the 43 refugees who are vying for the opportunity to compete at Rio as a part of the first ever ‘Refugee Olympic Athletes’ team, which is likely to consist of five to ten members. International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said "We help them to make their dream of sporting excellence come true, even when they have to flee war and violence.” The final decision on the team members will be made by the IOC in June.

Mardini fled Damascus with her older sister Sarah last August and survived a hazardous crossing on the Aegean Sea to reach Europe. The Mardini sisters were among Syria's brightest swimming stars until the war interrupted their progress. The family had been moving around to avoid the fighting so their daughters could continue swimming, but the war intensified and eventually the decision was taken to leave altogether. "Our house was destroyed. We don't have anything anymore," she said. She has since been joined by the rest of her family in Berlin.

The sea journey to Greece was fraught with danger as the engine on her dinghy stopped soon after reaching open water. Mardini, her sister and a man jumped into the water and began kicking, propelling the boat built for seven-eight people, but carrying 20, toward Lesbos, Greece. The trio spent three hours in the water, kicking so hard their shoes came off. "I wasn't going to sit there and complain that I would drown. If I was going to drown, at least I'd drown proud of myself and my sister. It would have been shameful if the people on our boat had drowned. There were people who didn't know how to swim," she said.

The Executive Board (EB) of IOC created the ‘Refugee Olympic Athletes’ team earlier this month on March 2 and said that it will be treated at the Olympic Games like any other team.

"I want refugees to be proud of me. I just want to encourage them," 18-year-old Mardini said.