Yusra Mardini: the true story behind Netflix's The Swimmers
Your questions answered on Yusra and Sara Mardini, whose story was adapted into the 2022 Netflix film The Swimmers.
Yusra Mardini's treacherous journey from Syria to Germany – and what happened next – is the subject of her inspiring memoir, Butterfly and Netflix film The Swimmers. Here, we answer everything you need to know about Yusra, her sister Sara, and the film.
Who is Yusra Mardini?
Yusra Mardini is an Olympic swimmer who competed with the Refugee Olympic Team at Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2020. She had fled her hometown of Damascus, Syria, in 2015 when it became too dangerous to live there. In 2017 she was made the youngest ever UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador.
Her story, alongside that of her sister, Sara Mardini, is told in her inspirational memoir, Butterfly, and in The Swimmers, a 2022 Netflix film.
‘Yusra, we could not be prouder of you for your courage and your resilience and the great example that you're setting for children everywhere.’
Barack Obama
Is The Swimmers on Netflix a true story?
Yes. While certain scenes and elements of the film are fictionalised, The Swimmers on Netflix is based on the true story of Yusra and Sara Mardini as they fled Syria to Germany in search of a better life, and an Olympic dream.
What happened to Yusra and Sara Mardini?
Yusra and Sara's journey is best told through Yusra's own words in her memoir, Butterfly.
Butterfly
by Yusra Mardini
After fleeing her native Syria to the Turkish coast in 2015, Yusra Mardini boarded a small dinghy full of refugees headed for Greece. On the journey, the boat's engine cut out and it started to sink. Yusra, her sister, and two others took to the water to push the overcrowded boat for three and a half hours in open water, saving the lives of those on board. Butterfly is Yusra Mardini's inspiring journey from war-torn Damascus to Berlin and from there to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.
Are the actors in The Swimmers actually sisters?
Real-life sisters Nathalie Issa and Manal Issa play Yusra and Sara Mardini in The Swimmers and their natural chemistry is evident on-screen.
The film was produced by a fellow refugee from Syria and author of Hope Not Fear, Hassan Akkad, who helped the sisters with their dialect and accents.
How many Olympics did Yusra Mardini go to?
Yusra competed in the 100 metres freestyle and the 100 metres butterfly at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio as part of the inaugural IOC Refugee Team.
She then competed in the 100 metres butterfly at Tokyo 2020 where she also carried the flag for the IOC Refugee Team in the opening ceremony.
What are Yusra and Sara Mardini doing now?
Yusra Mardini retired from swimming in 2023. However, she continues to share her story around the world and fight for the rights of refugees through her role as an ambassador for the UNHCR. In 2023 she founded the Yusra Mardini Foundation which is 'dedicated to advancing access to sports and education for refugee communities around the world.'
She will be presenting live coverage at the upcoming Paris Olympic Games in 2024.
After arriving in Germany, Sara Mardini decided to return to Lesbos to volunteer for an NGO that assists migrants and refugees arriving on Greek shores. In 2018 she was one of a group of volunteers who were charged with espionage, and faced with a potential prison sentence. She was released on bail before the charges were dropped by the Greek court in January 2023. However, the volunteers could still face further charges, described by Amnesty International as 'baseless'.
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Hope Not Fear
by Hassan Akkad
Hassan Akkad, BAFTA award-winner and producer of Netflix's The Swimmers, holds onto hope and demonstrates the kindness humanity is capable of every day. Hope Not Fear details both Hassan's life in Syria before the war and his perilous journey to the UK as an asylum-seeker, followed by his experiences from the Covid-19 frontline as an NHS cleaner at a London hospital. Hassan's story of triumph over adversity by standing together, united in kindness and love, is an important message of our time.