Independent Olympic Athletes

In the Olympics, the Independent Olympic Athletes group has been set aside for athletes without a country to represent during the games. Their signature flag is the Olympic flag. In the 2012 Olympics, the Independent Olympic athletes are from the Netherlands and South Sudan.

The participating independent athletes are Liemarvin Bonevacia, a 23-year-old male running the men’s 400m dash, Reginald De Windt, a 28-year-old male fighting in the men’s Judo 81kg, Philipine van Anholt, a 20-year-old female participating in the Woman’s Laser Radial, and lastly is Guor Marial, a 28-year-old male running the men’s marathon. During the opening ceremony, Brooklyn Kerlin was the flag bearer for the independent athletes.

The Athletes

^{_{(from left to right: Liemarvin Bonevacia, Reginald De Windt, Philipine van Anholt, and Guor Marial)}}

Liemarvin Bonevacia was born in Curaçao (Which, at the time, was still part of the Netherlands Antilles) on April 5, 1989. He is 5’ 11’’ and weighed in at 179lbs. He lost Heat 3 of the Semifinals of the 400m dash.

Reginald De Windt was born in Curaçao on November 30, 1983, he is 5’ 10’’, and weighed in at 179lbs. His friend’s call him Juny, and his favorite hobby is playing video games. He lost the Judo Elimination Round of 32.

Philipine van Anholt, born in Utrecht on April, 26, 1992, is 5’ 7’’ and weighed in at 152lbs. She’s a student in business at the University of Groningen and she speaks English, Dutch, and Spanish. Her coach is Martin Jenkins. She was eliminated in race 10 of the Women’s Laser Radial.

Guor Marial, born in Panrieng on April 15, 1984, is 5’ 11’’ and weighed in at 132lbs. He is going to run the Men’s Marathon on the 12th.

Why Are They Independent?

Philipine, Reginald, and Liemarvin were born in what was once the Netherlands Antilles in the Caribbean. The Antilles became dissolved in 2010. Three islands became part of the Netherlands proper, while two became constituent countries under the kingdom of the Netherlands. After this, the Olympic Committee of the Netherlands hoped to continue, but the IOC ruled that they were not allowed. The three athletes were then given the choice to compete independently.

Guor, on the other hand, is from South Sudan. During the Sudanese Civil War, when he was eight, he lost eight of his siblings and found himself in a labor camp before escaping into America. Since he didn’t have a country to represent, and he hadn’t obtained his US citizenship. Sudan offered him a chance to compete for them, but he declined, saying, “It's not right for me to do that. It's not right for me to represent the country I refuged from.” Therefore, he is now an independent athlete.