A team of refugees will compete at the Olympics in Rio this year

The International Olympic Committee on Wednesday officially created a team that will be comprised entirely of refugees and be cleared to compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. 

The IOC's Executive Board announced the creation of the Team Refugee Olympic Athletes (ROA) and, according to the guidelines released today, the team will be treated exactly like other countries participating in the Olympics, including uniforms (provided by the IOC) and housing in the athletes' village.

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The team will compete under the five-ring Olympic flag and the Olympic anthem will be played for all ROA members in medal ceremonies. 

According to the IOC, 43 candidates for the team have been identified and will compete for spots, expected to number between five and 10. 

In the IOC's statement, IOC President Thomas Bach said: 

“By welcoming the team of Refugee Olympic Athletes to the Olympic Games Rio 2016, we want to send a message of hope for all refugees in our world. Having no national team to belong to, having no flag to march behind, having no national anthem to be played, these refugee athletes will be welcomed to the Olympic Games with the Olympic flag and with the Olympic Anthem. They will have a home together with all the other 11,000 athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees in the Olympic Village.”

The IOC will also provide coaches and travel, among other expenses, for the ROA team members via the Olympic Solidarity program.

The plan to allow refugees to take part in the Olympics was originally announced last fall when Bach, addressing the United Nations General Assembly, said, “The Olympic Games are the time when the values of tolerance, solidarity and peace are brought to life. This is the time when the international community comes together for peaceful competition."

The IOC's approval comes days after the closure of the large "jungle" refugee camp in Calais, France, which has housed roughly 3,500 refugees. 

And while more than a million refugees made their way to Europe in 2015, that number is set to explode in 2016 as the flow of refugees increases across the continent. 

The IOC's announcement of inclusion also comes at a time when European countries, struggling to figure out how to handle the influx, has closed its borders to many refugees. 

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