Ten refugee athletes from Africa and the Middle East were selected Friday to compete under the Olympic flag at the Rio de Janeiro Games in what the IOC said represents a “symbol of hope” for migrants and refugees around the world.

The members of the first ever Olympic refugee team include athletes from South Sudan, Syria, Congo and Ethiopia who will compete in track and field, swimming and judo.

The team of six men and four women will march together behind the Olympic flag in the opening ceremony in Rio’s Maracana stadium on Aug. 5.

“We’re convinced this refugee Olympic team can send a symbol of hope to all refugees in the world,” IOC President Thomas Bach said at the close of a three-day IOC executive board meeting in Lausanne. “It is also a signal to the international community that refugees are our fellow human beings and are an enrichment to society.”

The team, selected from an initial pool of 43 candidates, will be overseen by Kenya’s Tegla Loroupe, the former women’s marathon world record-holder. Five coaches and five other team officials were also named by the IOC.

Officially called the Refugee Olympic Team (ROT), the athletes will walk into the opening ceremony just ahead of the huge team from Brazil, the host nation that marches last in the parade.