Watch Sesame Street’s Grover explain the 2016 Rio Olympics refugee team
This summer, Sesame Street’s Grover will be cheering for the "super special" refugee team at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, the favorite child-friendly monster explained in a video posted to the show’s Twitter page.
The 2016 Olympics will be the first to host a team entirely composed of refugees from the around the world, Grover explains:
"This super special team is full of athletes that come from many different countries. They are called refugees because they had to leave their homes. Life in their countries was not safe for them. Leaving their homes was sad, but this summer these athletes get the chance to do something they love."
Your furry pal @Grover is here to tell you all about @TeamRefugees! We’re cheering for you all! #TeamRefugees pic.twitter.com/q5v5VxmsjM
— Sesame Street (@sesamestreet) August 4, 2016
Ten athletes, who originate from conflict zones such as Syria and South Sudan, will compete as a refugee team at the Rio games this year: in track and field, swimming, and judo.
The 2016 Olympic Games come amid an international refugee crisis, with some 20 million people displaced internationally and an additional 40 million people displaced within their own countries. As Vox’s Libby Nelson reported, the "total number of refugees worldwide is larger than the combined populations of Sweden and Israel."