LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The IOC has identified 43 potential candidates for a special team of refugee athletes who will compete at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
IOC President Thomas Bach says he expects between five and 10 athletes to be selected for the team that will compete under the Olympic flag as “Refugee Olympic Athletes.”
The final list of athletes will be named by the IOC in June.
Bach says “we want to send a message of hope for all refugees of the world.”
Plans for the team were announced by the IOC last year amid the flow of refugees and migrants from Syria and other troubled regions into Europe.