Syria is moving toward a new dawn after the fall of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad’s regime in the first week of December.
The rebels in the war-torn country have asked the Syrians abroad to return to a ‘free Syria’, declaring Damascus free of tyranny.
This is making Yusra Mardini, a member of the Refugee Olympic Athletes Team (ROT) at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, dream of returning to her homeland after more than decade.
Mardini and her sister had decided to flee from the Syrian capital in August 2015 after the country was devastated by war.
“I can’t describe the moment I heard the news,” Yusra recalled. “I was on a flight from Los Angeles to Berlin. When I landed and checked my phone, everything was green with the new flag. We were free,” she told Khaleej Times.
“There was so much joy, loss, and anger all at once,” she said, tears filling her eyes as she remembered the pain her people had endured over the years.
But her mother is terrified on her decision to return. “It’s something I feel every day. I need to go back to show the world what’s happening and remind Syrians that we have a future to build
“My mother is terrified,” Yusra admitted. “But I have to go. This is my country, and I miss it more than anything in the world.” Despite the risks, she remains steadfast. “I want to inspire bravery—not just once, but always.”
The former Syrian competition swimmer wants to visit her extended family. “It’s going to be emotional seeing our destroyed home, but people need to see the devastation and understand the urgent need to rebuild,” she emphasised. “We need to stand together and heal as a nation.”
The 26-year-old has made a long way since fleeing her country. She became the youngest UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador and shared her inspiring story through her memoir, Butterfly, and the 2022 Netflix film The Swimmers. “It’s surreal to see my story touch so many lives,” she said. “I hope it helps people understand the situation of refugees.”
In 2023, Yusra and her sister were named TIME magazine’s most influential people.