THE teenage Olympian who pulled a refugee boat to safety has been named the UN’s youngest ever Goodwill Ambassador.
Syrian refugee Yusra Mardini and her sister dived into the Mediterranean Sea when their boat broke down between Turkey and the Greek island of Lesbos, and pulled the vessel for hours to save the other 20 passengers.
Yusra, from Damascus, was subsequently selected for the first ever Refugee Olympic Team and competed at the Rio games last summer. Now based in Germany, she was yesterday given an official role by the UN refugee agency UNHCR.
She said: “I am thrilled to join the UNHCR family and eager to continue spreading the message that refugees are just normal people living through traumatic and devastating circumstances, who are capable of extraordinary things if only given a chance.
“The UN refugee agency does the most important and incredible work for refugees under extremely challenging circumstances, and I am proud to use my voice to support UNHCR.”
Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, called Yusra “deeply inspiring,” adding: “Through her powerful personal story, Yusra represents the hopes, the fears and the incredible potential of the more than ten million young refugees around the globe.”
Prior to the appointment, Yusra has addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos and met with Barack Obama and the Pope.
She said: “I’m proud to stand for peace, for decency and dignity.”
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