The athletes will compete in Brazil for the Refugee Olympic Team - the first of its kind.
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach says these refugees have no home, no team, no flag and no national anthem.
He says they will be offered a home in the Olympic Village together with all the athletes of the world.
The Olympic anthem will be played in their honour and the Olympic flag will lead them into the Olympic Stadium at the opening ceremony.
Mr Bach says practical support will also be offered.
The athletes originally hail from Syria, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Teenager Yusra Mardini is a swimmer from Syria who fled the fighting with her older sister in 2015.
During the most hazardous part of their journey they found themselves in an open boat with a broken motor, part of the way from Turkey to the Greek island of Lesbos.
Mardini says she might be a little overcome by emotion when she enters the Olympic stadium in Rio de Janeiro, representing a team of refugees.
In Kenya, there's a group of South Sudanese athletes training to join the Refugee Olympic Team.
Out of the 10 members, five are from what is now South Sudan and have been living in Kakuma refugee camp in the country's north-west for years.
One runner, Rose Nathike Lokonyen, has been living in Kakuma for most of her life since escaping her homeland in 2002.
The 23-year-old only began competitive running recently and will compete in the 800-metre event.
Also at the same Nairobi-based training camp is 24-year-old Paulo Amotun Lokoro from South Sudan.
He'll compete in the 1500-metre race and has big ambitions.
I-O-C Chief Thomas Bach says the team is a signal to the international community that refugees are our fellow human beings and enrich society.
He says the athletes will show the world that despite the unimaginable tragedies they've faced, anyone can contribute to society through their talent, skills and strength of the human spirit.
The I-O-C says it will continue to support the athletes after the Games are over.
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