MARDINI Yusra

General
FLEEING SYRIA
She was born in the Syrian Arab Republic, and represented the country at the 2012 World Short Course Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, at age 14. In August 2015 she and her older sister Sarah fled the Syrian Arab Republic and headed for Europe, eventually reaching Germany. Their journey took them through Lebanon to Izmir, Turkey, and they travelled on a dinghy with about 30 other people to the island of Lesbos, Greece. During the journey the boat's motor broke, leaving them stranded. The sisters and three others people jumped into the water and took turns kicking and dragging the boat for three-and-a-half hours before eventually reaching safety. "We realised that we were working so hard and waking up to a routine [war] that won't change until I'm 60 years old. I was working as hard as people in Europe but I knew I would not reach [my goals]. Why? Because there is war. Sometimes you're swimming and a bomb comes in the pool, so you have to run out and go hide. It wasn't just once, it was three or four times. It was horrific. The boats are those boats you go on vacation with for five people, 10 people. There were 20 on it. Most of them didn't know how to swim. When we were on the boat the motor stopped and the water was coming in. I was thinking it would be a real shame if we drowned, because we are swimmers. I hated the sea after that." (newyorker.com, 07 Apr 2016; itv.com, 19 Mar 2016; olympics.com, 06 Jan 2021; uk.news.yahoo.com, 08 Jun 2021)

REPRESENTING REFUGEES
She initially rejected the offer to be part of the Refugee Olympic Athletes Team as she considered 'refugee' a negative term. After eventually deciding to join the team for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro she says her perspective was changed when she travelled to the Games. "When I first came to Germany, I was really, really ashamed of the word 'refugee'. I was sad and thought people would think I was poor or stupid or that I just came here to get money or opportunities. Everything changed when I entered the stadium at Rio, to be honest. At that moment I told myself, 'Nope, stop thinking about yourself'. It's about the community that I'm fighting for. It's about refugees. It's about athletes. It's about swimmers. It's about being a voice for people who don't have a voice. I am really proud of that, and I wish and hope that I always represent refugees in a good way. And I will always fight for them." (forbesindia.com, 20 Feb 2020; stylist.co.uk, 23 Jul 2020)

SPOTLIGHT
A film based on her and her sister's lives, entitled 'The Swimmers', will be released in 2022 on streaming platform Netflix. It will be directed by Sally El Hosaini, while they will be portrayed by Lebanese sisters Manal and Nathalie Issa. She has also authored a book entitled 'Butterfly' detailing her life experiences, particularly fleeing from Syria and her swimming career. "I tell my story because I want people to understand that sport saved my life. I always tell people that they are normal, we are normal. We do not come from a country that is poor. That's not true. We did not come here without dreams. We already have so many doctors, engineers, swimmers. I always try to tell people it's normal. We have everything you have. I also want to remind everyone that refugees are still in the camps, and they really do need our help." (yusra-mardini.com, 01 Mar 2020; swimswam.com, 15 May 2018; olympics.com, 06 Jan 2021)

SPEAKER
In September 2016 she gave a speech to open the Leaders' Summit on Refugees and Migrants, hosted by US President Barack Obama in New York, NY, United States of America. "The experience [competing at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro] has given me a voice. I want to help change people's perception of what a refugee is, for everyone to understand it is not a choice to flee from your home and that refugees are normal people that can achieve great things if given the opportunity." (swimswam.com, 25 Sep 2016)