When the first ever Olympic team made up of refugees entered the opening ceremony last week, not much united them beyond their desires to compete and unwilling separations from their home countries.

Now, a new organization wants to give them their own symbol.

The 10 athletes walked under the Olympic flag during the Parade of Nations and they continue to compete under those five rings, since their members come from four different countries. But a newly-formed organization, The Refugee Nation, has designed a flag it hopes will become part of the identity of the team and inspire goodwill for forcibly displaced people around the world.

As of now, the Refugee Olympic Team are not able to officially use the flag, which features an orange field bisected by a black stripe, reminiscent of the life vests used by those fleeing to Europe across the Mediterranean. That hasn't curbed the enthusiasm, though, of the refugees and supporters that make up Refugee Nation and helped bring the new flag to life.

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The International Olympic Committee announced the creation of the refugee team last March, in response to the tens of millions that have been displaced by conflict. Many have found refuge in Europe, while others have died trying to do so. After the announcement, two of the Refugee Nation's founders, Artur Lipori and Caro Rebello, were compelled to try and unify refugees under a common sign.

A still from a photoshoot featuring the flag in Rio De janeiro. Image: The refugee nation

"We felt that we needed to do something to give them an identity, a flag and an anthem they could call their own. 'National' symbols that could really represent these brave people. As a tribute to the 10 athletes and all refugees in the world," Lipori said.

They did exactly that. Lipori and Rebello, two Brazilians living in New York City, who aren't displaced persons, worked along with a group of creatives to bring refugees and supporters together to form The Refugee Nation and put the plan to make the flag in motion. They also wanted to give the team an anthem.

As excited as they were by the idea, Lipori stressed the importance of working with other refugees to bring their ideas to life.

“Black and orange is a symbol of solidarity with all these brave souls that have to wear life vests to cross the sea looking for safety in a new country. Life vests I had to wear also.”

"From the moment we knew that we wanted to give these refugee athletes an identity, we realized we weren't the ones to do that," he said. "We didn’t go through the pains these people did. We didn’t know their stories. So we figured out that we needed a refugee artist to design the flag and a refugee composer to write the music."

Yara Said, a Syrian refugee currently living in Amsterdam, responded to the Refugee Nation's call to design a flag with a powerful concept. Said had to wear an orange life vest when she escaped Syria by sea.

“Black and orange is a symbol of solidarity with all these brave souls that have to wear life vests to cross the sea looking for safety in a new country," she said in a statement provided by Refugee Nation. "Life vests I had to wear also.”

Popole Misenga, a member of the Refugee Olympic Team, poses with the flag made by The Refugee Nation. Image: The refugee nation

The flag has not been sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee and a press attache for the Refugee Olympic Team denied Mashable access to the team for comment.

"We’re constantly in touch with IOC in order to have the orange and black flag there," Lipori said. "They’re open to let us deliver the flag to the athletes who still don’t have it. As we had mentioned, some athletes already have their own flags and we know they love it. So, there’s a chance they will bring the flag during the days they’re competing."

The Refugee Nation is also hoping to create a broad base of support where fans are encouraged to wave the flag while the athletes compete.

"We might not be the official flag, yet, but we’re undoubtedly the world’s favorite unofficial one."

"[W]e’re distributing thousands of flags in Rio, so people can cheer for the team," he said. "Everyday we receive pictures of people with the flag in Rio and messages from people worldwide begging to have a flag. We might not be the official flag, yet, but we’re undoubtedly the world’s favorite unofficial one."

The IOC, while not actively speaking out against the refugee flag, chose to focus on the invitation to these games revolving more around a communal spirit within the Olympic community.

"We created the Refugee Olympic Team with the idea to make the Olympic village their home and the Olympic anthem their anthem," an IOC spokesman said over email. "The whole Olympic movement came together to give them our support with the idea that they were an enrichment for us all. For this reason as the Refugee Olympic Team will also compete under the Olympic Flag as a sign of solidarity of the entire Olympic movement with the refugees."

Meanwhile, The Refugee Nation has launched a petition on Change.org for the IOC to let the Refugee Olympic Team carry the flag in competition.

The Refugee Nation were able to travel to Rio Di Janeiro before the Olympics began and gave the flag to a few of the athletes on the team. In a video posted to the organization's Facebook page, both Popole Misenga and Yolande Mabika showed gratitude and spoke appreciatively about having a flag to represent their team.

Yolande Mabika, a member of the Refugee Olympic Team, poses with the flag. Image: the refugee nation

They were given the following letter, written by Said, to introduce the symbol:

"To all refugees athletes. I know how hard is to be a refugee and face really hard circumstances. That’s why you refugee athletes competing at the Olympic Games should be really, really proud of yourselves. You’re all examples to other people. You’re proving now that human beings are really strong creatures. This flag is my sincere tribute to you, and all refugees in the world.”

The Olympians quickly showed their gratefulness for the project.

"Thank you. Thank you for the person who wrote this letter," Mabika said in the video. "Thank you, because she also faced hard circumstances as I did. I felt really touched by everything she wrote. We're together."

Misenga draped the flag over himself and declared his intention to share its message.

"This flag, this flag is a gift," Misenga said. "It's gonna stay with me. I'll never forget that... in every country, every place."

"Everybody will bring the flag of their country," Misenga said. "I'll bring the flag of my team. The refugees."

To him, it represented his and his team's efforts to compete in the games.

"Everybody will bring the flag of their country," Misenga said. "I'll bring the flag of my team. The refugees."

The Refugee Nation is not doing this alone. Early on, the group reached out to Amnesty International to see if the global human rights organization would have any interest in supporting the project.

Eric Ferrero, deputy executive director for strategic communications and digital initiatives at Amnesty International, said it aligned very closely with their values and they offered The Refugee Nation support.

Ferrero said Amnesty International is providing the content for the campaign and some information for the promotional materials. They are also promoting the Refugee Nation's flag through their own communications networks.

"It's an opportunity to change the narrative of being more of a narrative about empathy and refugees seeking the things all of us want — safety and respect," Ferrero said. "It's a tremendous opportunity to bring the world together to support refugees instead of shaming them."

It also provides another venue for Amnesty International to gather pledges of support for refugees, both financial and societal, and raise awareness of their plight.

"It's a tremendous opportunity to bring the world together to support refugees instead of shaming them."

After the Olympics are over both Amnesty International and Refugee Nation hope to continue spreading their message of unity, empathy and support with refugee communities.

Lipori spoke of the flag as a symbol that can remind the world how connected we really are.

It could be seen as controversial, as seemingly replacing the nation from which people originated and creating a totally new nationality. But for Refugee Nation, they only want to raise awareness for the more than 60 million that have and continue to go through traumatic experiences simply to find a stable, sustainable place to live.

"The Refugee Nation is a symbolic nation created to honor the 10 refugee athletes at the Olympic Games," Lipori said. "Amnesty International is a global movement of people fighting injustice to promote human rights. By joining forces, these two initiatives aim to show the world that every human being has the right of having a place to call home."