“Swimming is my life. The swimming pool is my home.” The words of swimmer Rami Anis who, at the age of 20, had to leave his hometown of Aleppo, in order to escape the onset of the Syrian War.

Five years on and Anis, who now trains in Belgium with former Olympic swimmer Carine Verbauwen, is preparing to compete in the 100m butterfly at the Rio 2016 Games in August, where he will form part of the first Refugee Olympic Team.

“It will be a great feeling to be part of the Olympics,” he said after being named in the 10-strong team. “It is the biggest event in the world. I will be very proud because I will compete with world champions.”

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Rami Anis is now based in a small town near the Belgian city of Ghent (Photo: IOC)

In 2011, as bombings and kidnappings in Aleppo became more frequent, Anis had to leave the city. When his family sent him to stay with his older brother in Istanbul, he had no idea that he would not return. “The bag I took had two jackets, two t-shirts, two trousers – it was a small bag. I thought I would be in Turkey for a couple of months and then return to my country.”

Aleppo has since become emblematic of the horrors of the war in Syria, with heartbreaking stories coming out of the ravaged city. But Anis retains fond memories of his childhood in Aleppo: his sporting life, friends and family. It was his uncle Majad, who had swam competitively for Syria, who inspired him to become a swimmer.

Dinghy sea crossing

In Istanbul he continued to pursue his passion for swimming, training at the prestigious Galatasaray Sports Club. However, as he did not have Turkish citizenship, he was unable to follow in his uncle’s footsteps and swim competitively. “It’s like someone who is studying, studying, studying and he can’t take the exam.”

In search of a chance to prove himself, Anis left Turkey aboard an inflatable dinghy and made his way across to the Greek island of Samos. Eventually he reached Belgium where he was granted asylum in December 2015. Today he trains at the Royal Ghent Swimming Club under the watchful eye of Verbauwen.

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The unprecedented refugee team is a joint initiative by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). The IOC is providing a full support team and the athletes will march at the opening ceremony under the Olympic flag.

Anis's team-mates will be another Syrian swimmer, two judokas from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a marathon runner from Ethiopia and five runners from South Sudan.

A message to the world

Upon announcing the team last week, IOC president Thomas Bach it would help alert global attention to the scale of the refugee crisis. The United Nations says that 59.5 million people are currently displaced, the largest number since records began.

“It is a signal to the international community that refugees are our fellow human beings and an enrichment to society,” Bach said. “These refugee athletes will show the world that despite the unimaginable tragedies that they have faced, anyone can contribute to society through their talent, skills and strength of the human spirit.”

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(Photo: IOC)

Anis believes that the team's inclusion in the Games will signal to the world that, despite their upheaval, refugees can still lead a normal life in their host countries. “Now I have a good goal and also other refugees will have a goal and that is to take part in competitions. It will be a great feeling to be part of the Olympics.”

Rio2016.com is profiling each of the 10 athletes in the Olympic refugee team. Also see:

Yiech Pur Biel, the ‘Lost Boy’ who found a sense of belonging in athletics

James Chiengjiek’s escape from the clutches of war to Rio 2016

Prolific marathon runner Yonas Kinde finally able to compete at Olympic Games