The flag is orange and black, like the life jackets used in maritime emergencies. And the anthem is somewhat melancholy, composed by Syrian refugee Moutaz Arian.
The anthem proposed for the Rio 2016 Olympics for the Refugee Team was composed by a Syrian refugee. During the opening ceremony of Rio 2016 at the Maracanã, they were there, waving the flag with the five rings, representing a people of 63.5 million scattered across the world — those who have fled their country because of wars and political persecution.
For the first time in the history of the Games, a Refugee Team (Refugee Olympic Team) is competing, chosen and selected by the International Olympic Committee and made up of 10 athletes whose status has been verified by the United Nations. A Syrian male and female swimmer, two judokas from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, five athletes from South Sudan and an Ethiopian marathon runner, selected from 43 candidates.
The ten athletes from Syria, Ethiopia, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, competing in athletics, judo and swimming, have already paraded under the Olympic flag during the opening ceremony and are already taking part in their events.
In recent days, a group of supporters of the Refugee Team, Refugee Nation, has devised — with the backing of Amnesty International — both a flag and an anthem to propose to the Olympic delegation.
The anthem was composed by Moutaz Arian, a Syrian refugee who, three years ago, while he was at the University of Damascus, was forcibly conscripted into Assad's army and fled his country.
So now the refugees have both the flag — orange with a black stripe — to recall the life jackets worn at sea, and a musical anthem.
The flag takes its inspiration from the colours of the life jacket and bears witness to the desperation of those who face perilous sea crossings in search of a better future, as well as to the courage of those who come to their rescue.