Guor Marial: A True Olympic Superstar

In the past week, there have been several athletes who have become overnight international celebrities. Missy Franklin is the USA's "it girl", Ryan Lochte is the new Micheal Phelps, etc. But one athlete's story incredible story has gone a little bit under the radar, and is definitely worth talking about.

Guor Marial is a refugee from South Sudan living in the United States. He fled his home country at age 16 during the brutal civil war that killed dozens of his family members and friends. In fact, 28 of his family members were killed in the war. He was also kidnapped twice. Now he's been living in the US for 12 years and has become one of the top marathon runners in the world. He qualified for the 2012 London Olympics, but was unable to compete on team USA because he is not a legal citizen (even though he is a permanent resident). Officials tried to convince him to compete as part of the Sudanese team, but he refused:

“I lost my family and relatives, and in South Sudan 2 million people died. For me to just go and represent Sudan is a betrayal of my country first of all, and is disrespecting my people who died for freedom." he said to one reporter.


Since South Sudan is still such a new country, they are not members of the IOC at this time so he could not compete under the South Sudanese flag. Luckily, he appealed to the IOC and was granted permission to compete as an independent. There are only three other athletes competing as independents this summer in London.

Before arriving at Heathrow airport, Guor told reporters:

"I will be wearing the Olympic uniform, but inside I will be holding the South Sudan flag in my heart, and the people of South Sudan and the refugees.These are the people I will be representing at the Olympics."

Although his personal best does not put him as a frontrunner in his event, he is expected to finish between 15th-20th. But just the fact that he is there representing the people that many Northerners forget about: refugees. I think a lot of people would rather not hear the stories of rape, loss, and desperation that is the reality for millions of refugees world wide. It's much easier to think that these people are just greedy, and here to steal our jobs and tax dollars. But stories like this one, heartwarming enough to grab the media's attention, are a reminder to everyone that refugees ARE in your neighbourhood. They have been through experiences that most North American's can't even imagine. And they are worthy of our respect, in the spirit of the Olympic games.

Don't forget to cheer for Guor on August 12th!