Yusra wears WAISTCOAT, SHORT, PANTS, BOOTS & EARRINGS MM6 Maison Margiela SUNGLASSES Versace.
After fleeing the war in Syria and arriving in Germany, swimmer and activist Yusra Mardini has made it her mission to transform the lives of displaced refugees. She swam at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 games as part of the Refugee Olympic Team, inspiring millions of refugees across the world. While she has since departed from competitive swimming, Mardini continues her mission through the Yusra Mardini Foundation, which aims to provide access to sports and education for refugees. In a conversation with SLEEK, Mardini tells us about what the Foundation has lined up, her latest role as a Eurosport reporter covering the Refugee Olympic Team at the Paris 2024 Olympics, and the importance of holding on to your dreams.
Yusra wears FULL LOOK GMBH METALLIC BELT Vingt-Deux.
Yusra wears FULL LOOK GMBGH METALLIC BELT Vingt-Deux.
SLEEK: After settling in Berlin, you swam at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 games as part of the Refugee Olympic Team. How did it feel to represent both your home and other refugees?
YUSRA MARDINI: I honestly struggled a little with being called a refugee because I wasn’t fully educated about what that term meant until I became one myself. I wanted to earn my spot and prove that I’m not there just because I went through something tough. For a while, I struggled. But then I realised that it’s not about the word; it’s what I choose to do with it. The moment I entered the Olympic Stadium was the moment I understood my dream was not a solitary one. I realised I have a responsibility, and it’s not about the gold medal anymore. For me, it’s about something much bigger.
S: And that ‘something bigger’ grew into you founding the Yusra Mardini Foundation, which supports refugees through sports and education. Can you tell me more about your upcoming projects?
YM: Our charity’s mission is to provide refugees and forcibly displaced persons with access to sports and education and to help them achieve their dreams, be they academic or athletic. For me, my own ambitions in academia and as an athlete have made me who I am today. One of our foundation’s current projects is a resettlement programme for Refugee Olympic Team athletes to Canada. In cooperation with the International Olympic Committee and a Canadian partner, we will award scholarships that enable the recipients to start their careers in Canada. Some of these athletes have been in refugee camps since childhood and lack the facilities to train and improve. We would like to offer them new opportunities in life with these scholarships. We also support two swimming projects. In France, we support the Welcome 66 project together with our partner Oris. The Swiss brand is a sustainable company that obtains material for watch dials from fishing nets and other marine debris. During the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, we will promote sustainable social change with this swimming project. The second swimming project is in Greece – on the island where I arrived. I will return for the first time in nine years to take part in the event, Swim For Good. I will be swimming in the sea for the first time since that day, back when I was 17.
Yusra wears FULL LOOK Louis Vuitton.
S: After this experience, how did you reconnect with water, even if it was only in the pool?
YM: It’s completely different when you’re swimming in the pool – you’re inside a cornered space with visible ground beneath you. But when I’m on vacation by the sea, I feel really sad. Being close to the open water reminds me of how many people lost their lives. I am not really scared. It’s more emotional. I just think of what people went through, how they lost their lives, and how no one could or would help them. It’s just heartbreaking.
S: In 2022, The Swimmers, a film based on your life, was released. Can you describe your experience watching a film about your own life?
YM: It’s so crazy to watch your life with your own eyes. We wanted people to understand that refugees are normal human beings; they go through struggles; they leave their countries because of violence, war, or politics; and they go to new countries because they have hopes and dreams, just like everyone else.
LEFT Yusra wears TOP & SKIRT Etro BOOTS Empty Behavior RIGHT Yusra wears FULL LOOK Louis Vuitton.
S: You’ve recently started studying Film and Television Production at University of Southern California. Why are you interested in film?
YM: I consider myself a storyteller. I would love to tell stories that have a positive impact on the world. Not many refugees have the platform to tell their stories. I hope I can be someone to whom people reach out and who can help them tell their stories. This year, I’ll be a Eurosport correspondent covering the Refugee Olympic Team. My message is that this is a time where you can open your heart and your mind to this team, watch the way the athletes compete, and listen to their stories. They went through a lot of hardship to get to this point. I’m so excited to see them compete and show the world that just being a refugee doesn’t mean that you cannot achieve your dreams.
S: Other than swimming, what else are you passionate about? Is it true that you’d like to one day have your own fashion brand?
YM: Yes, I’d love to. At the foundation, we work with 2050, a sustainable fashion brand in the Netherlands, to launch our first merchandise. I don’t have any plans to start my own brand just yet, but I already have a very specific idea in mind. I want it to be sustainable both in terms of material and labour. I also want proceeds to go towards the Foundation.
S: What would you say to young Syrians and other refugees who have their own dreams and passions and are trying to find their place in the world?
YM: They should know that they’re special in every way. Don’t be afraid to tell your story; don’t be afraid to go through the process of healing. I thought about giving up multiple times, and the reason I’m here is because I didn’t. Sometimes, when it gets too much, you fall a few steps back. But that’s okay – just don’t give up.
Yusra wears FULL LOOK Chanel.
Credits
Words: Molly Maltman
Photography: Rakuto Makino
Styling: Saskia Jung & Veronika Dorosheva
Creative Direction: Hannes Aechter
Makeup Artist: Paloma Brytscha
Hair Artist: Dennis Brandt
Production: Jule Nötzel
Photography Assistant: Leon Grunau
Styling Assistant: Tania Aquaro & Matea Dolić.
As featured in SLEEK 81 – REALITY. Available in print and digital here.