What I Learned About the Power of Sports as a Refugee Olympian

Sports. For many, they’re a fun pastime, a way to cool off, a means to keep in good shape. But for me, sports are much more—they saved my life and transformed it completely.

I was forced to flee the war in my home country, Syria, in 2015. Arriving in Germany, I felt lost and exhausted. Athletics became my solace. Running, training, swimming—these activities lifted my spirits and gave purpose to my new life. Swimming, especially, provided comfort and a sense of belonging. What I had thought of as a career in Syria became a friend, a helping hand.

For hundreds of thousands of refugees around the world, sports serve as a vital lifeline. They can be the support people who are struggling desperately need. Unfortunately, not all refugees have access to them.

Of the 43.4 million refugees around the world, many live in places with few or inadequate sports facilities—there is no easy access to pitches, clubs, stadiums, running tracks, or pools. That’s before you get to clothes and equipment, let alone qualified coaches and trainers. Sometimes it can be something as simple as not having the right documents, like an ID card or a bank account for a gym membership, or lacking the means to buy tickets to a game.

But sports are more than just a hobby for refugees. Sports are a healing force, a chance to develop and grow. In an increasingly polarized world, with so much anger and distrust directed at people who are “different,” sports can be a way to meet people, to mix with local communities, make friends, and start conversations. The importance of inclusion is especially true for girls, who are often overlooked when it comes to access to sport, and for people with disabilities.

Refugees need and deserve the chance to play sports. That’s why governments, sports associations, businesses and foundations, sports clubs, and sports stars all have a role to play in improving access, so refugees everywhere can experience the transformative power of athletics.

As a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, I recently visited Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp—one of the largest in the world—where I was reminded of the transformative power of sports even when the future looks bleak. After my own experience in a Greek refugee camp, I had long wanted to visit Kakuma because athletes from the first Refugee Olympic Team in Rio 2016—my teammates—were based there: Yiech Pur Biel, Anjelina Nadai Lohalith , Paulo Amotun Lokoro , Rose Nathike Lokonyen, and James NyangChiengjiek . Despite diverse refugee journeys, our shared love for sports united us as friends.

Walking through Kakuma this summer, I saw families and individuals with a familiar look—waiting for hope, for something to occupy their minds and bodies. Sports fill this hole. In Kakuma, I was inspired by so many young people embracing athletics initiatives—football, volleyball, basketball, running, and even chess, which is its own kind of sport.

Jackson, a talkative young South Sudanese refugee and one of the thousands of people, male and female, who play football in this football-mad place, told me: “When we play sport, we are all one people. Playing football relieves my stress. When you enter the field of play, I just think about the sport, and I leave everything [else] behind me.”

I could see just how vital it was for people to get moving, to focus on the ball, the track, their teammates and competitors. Sports transcend leisure—they teach teamwork, perseverance, and skills that are applicable across life’s challenges. They foster friendships and bonds, which are essential in refugee communities.

In Kakuma, I also met Perina Nakang, who is following my path to the Refugee Olympic Team in Paris. At the age of 7, Perina fled the fighting in South Sudan. Once settled in Kakuma, she tried football and basketball for fun, but found her true calling—and serious talent—in running. Now she is going to be an Olympian.

“When I think about going to Paris, I can hardly believe it,” she told me when we met at her training camp in Eldoret, a nine-hour drive south of Kakuma. “When I got the news, I was so shocked, I didn’t think this would ever happen to me—I couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep,” she said. “The next day I got up and just trained and trained. I have a huge purpose.”

With the Olympics about to begin, the world’s attention will be turned to the power of sports. Make sure you take a moment to watch Perina and her fellow athletes on the Refugee Olympic Team. They are symbols of hope, courage, determination, and peace. Yet they are only one part of the refugee sporting story. There are achievable, concrete steps we can take for all refugees, of all ages and abilities, so they can benefit from athletics—starting with improving access to facilities, equipment, and opportunities.

This is what turned my life around. Others deserve the same.

Mardini competed in the 2016 and 2020 Olympics as a member of the Refugee Olympic Team. She is a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR and was featured, along with her sister Sara Mardini, in the 2023 TIME100.

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