July 23rd, 2012
04:06 AM ET

South Sudan runner is an Olympian without a country

Even though he will not compete in the London Olympics under his country's flag, South Sudan native Guor Marial basks with pride as the first athlete from the world's youngest nation in the global arena.

The marathon runner was born in what is now South Sudan, which split  from Sudan last year and does not yet have a national Olympic body.  He is a permanent resident of the United States,  where he fled 11 years ago to escape the bloody conflict between the two neighbors that left millions dead.

The 28-year-old does not hold U.S. citizenship, and rejected an offer to run under Sudan's flag following the nation's bitter divorce with his homeland.

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Filed under: Sports • U.S. • Uncategorized • World
soundoff (9 Responses)
  1. drap™

    But he is an Olympian? what a country... .

    July 23, 2012 at 4:19 am | Report abuse |
  2. banasy©

    Well, hopefully the South Sudan will have their own Olympic team within the next four years.
    Good luck to this young man.

    July 23, 2012 at 12:17 pm | Report abuse |
  3. Hope

    Another alien...

    Some silly people jacked up my phone... again.

    This time they replaced my wallpaper, which
    was a picture of my granddaughter with an
    underwater scene looking through the water
    to the sun.

    Google news – polar bears under attack in
    Canada, especially wet ones, and black bears
    caught shopping at Sears in New Jersey!

    What is truth?

    July 23, 2012 at 1:31 pm | Report abuse |
  4. Hope

    Truth...

    Does it not hollar out to you?

    Love,
    Hope

    July 23, 2012 at 1:37 pm | Report abuse |
  5. Hope

    Correction:

    Bears were shopping in Pittsburgh!

    😀

    Google it!

    July 23, 2012 at 2:01 pm | Report abuse |
  6. james ainoris

    The world ingnores genocide of close to 3 million...and all they talk about is silly games where Israeli players were murdered....ps only Israel has saved significant numbers of Sudanese..50000... how many human beings has your country saved! cant the pope find some room? Gerry Farwell? U.N. jimmy carter s plantation? what about filthy rich arab oil countries? Bread and circus's while women and children are murdered.... I stopped watching greedy greek games after they held them in communist china... what a joke...and they wont even have a moment of silence for Israelis ...Murdered... maybe they should have a moment of silence for the Sudanese.....james p ainoris

    July 23, 2012 at 4:53 pm | Report abuse |
  7. Hope

    Maybe we're, all, better off dead... I feel ya.

    Save Syria!

    July 23, 2012 at 5:27 pm | Report abuse |
  8. Hope

    The world lies in the hands of the wicked one.

    Keep the Faith,
    Hope

    July 23, 2012 at 7:18 pm | Report abuse |
  9. Satan

    The world does not lie in my hands its the people that cause the problems not me just like a gun its the people

    July 23, 2012 at 10:33 pm | Report abuse |
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