“Judo gave me everything.” When just a child, Popole Misenga had everything taken away from him. In just six weeks' time, thanks to judo, the 24-year-old Congolese refugee will be representing the first Olympic refugee team in history at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Misenga grew up in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where decades of war have killed countless numbers of people, including his mother. When he was just nine years old, he had to flee his hometown Kisangani. Frightened and alone, he took refuge in the forest for eight days until he was rescued and taken to the country’s capital Kinshasa.

Popole Misenga was just nine years old when he fled his hometown of Kisangani (Photo: IOC)

In Kinshasa, Misenga was housed in a centre for displaced children and there he discovered judo, a sport that he credits with changing his life.

“When you are a child, you need to have a family to give you instructions about what to do, and I didn’t have one,” he says. “Judo helped me by giving me calmness, discipline, direction – everything. It is a part of my life.”

Misenga dedicated his life to judo and became a member of the national team, but he says he suffered from an excessively severe coaching regime. In 2013, during the judo world championships in Rio de Janeiro, Popole and team-mate Yolande Mabika decided to flee the team hotel and seek asylum.

After gaining refugee status in Brazil, Misenga was able to return to judo and today he trains at Instituto Reação, a school founded by Olympic bronze medallist Flávio Canto. Here, he and Mabika are supported by the Olympic Solidarity fund, which is paying for their equipment, training and preparation ahead of their participation at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in August.

“I want to be part of the Refugee Olympic Athletes team to keep dreaming, to give hope to all refugees and take sadness out of them. I want to show that refugees can do important things,” Misenga says.

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The members of the first Refugee Olympic Team were announced on 3 June. Joining Misenga and Mabika on the team will be two Syrian swimmers, five South Sudanese runners and an Ethiopian marathon runner.

The athletes were named after a long selection process conducted by the IOC in collaboration with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and with National Olympic Committees of countries which have large refugee populations.

The refugee team will participate under the Olympic flag and the Olympic anthem will be played in their honour. To ensure that they are able to compete at the highest level against the other national delegations, they will be accompanied by an entourage of coaches, medical staff and other team officials.

Refugee athletes feel at home at Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Village

 Misenga and Mabika, whose training in Rio de Janeiro is supported by the Olympic Solidarity fund, receive Portuguese lessons (Photo: IOC)

Speaking at the team’s unveiling, IOC president Thomas Bach said he hoped the initiative would raise awareness of the gravity of the global refugee crisis. The UN estimates that are currently more than 59 million displaced people around the world.

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“This will be a symbol of hope for all the refugees in our world, and will make the world better aware of the magnitude of this crisis. It is also a signal to the international community that refugees are our fellow human beings and are an enrichment to society.

"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,” Bach said.

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

Syrian swimmer Rami Anis’s journey from Aleppo to the Rio 2016 Games

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

Anjelina Nadai Lohalith hopes Rio 2016 success will reunite her with parents

Shoeless Rose Nathike Lokonyen becomes envoy for peace

Paulo Amotun Lokoro the cattle herder turned refugee turned Olympian

Swimming heroine Yusra Mardini comes to Rio 2016 after saving 20 lives

Judo gave Yolande Bukasa Mabika a 'strong heart'