Rio 2016: Four of the most important non-sporting stories from the Olympics

The stories of athletes who saved lives and broke taboos dominated coverage of the 2016 Olympics

The Olympics is a celebration of the best in the sporting world. With three days still to go, members of Team GB have already achieved a huge amount of success and are currently sitting at second place in the medal table.

While this sporting excellence is something to be celebrated, there were also a number of important non-sporting stories to emerge from the Rio Games.

One team who captivated international attention was the refugee team.

A reminder of the plight of refugees around the world

For the first time in Olympic history, a team of refugees from five different countries was assembled.

Their incredible stories of survival and the resilience that brought them to Rio were among some of the most read stories from the Games.

From Rose Nathike and Yiech Pur, the south Sudanese runners who trained barefoot because she didn't have shoes to Yusra Mardini, the Syrian swimmer who once swam three hours to save 20 lives when the motor on the dinghy they were travelling in failed in the Med, they have reminded viewers of the plight of those trapped in war-torn countries around the world.

The German coach who saved four lives

One of the most tragic stories to emerge from the games was the death of the German canoe slalom coach Stefan Henze who died as a result of head injuries sustained in a car crash close to the Olympic village.

Henze, who was a silver medallist in the 2004 Athens games, has saved the lives of four people through organ donation transplants.

A selfie of unity

While the Olympics are about competition, they can also be a time for athletes to build a bridge between countries who have been separated by bitter feuds between home nations.

Two gymnasts chose to do this by doing what millennials do best: taking a selfie, and in doing so created an iconic moment of unity.

Lee Eun Ju from South Korea and Hong Un Jong from North Korea were spotted chatting and laughing during their qualification rounds before taking selfie which went viral as a symbol of peace.

The Chinese swimmer breaking taboos

The Chinese swimmer Fu Yuanhui has already become something of a national hero in China for her enthusiastic facial expressions and post-swim interviews including a brilliant clip where she had to be told by a Chinese news reporter she was now a bronze medallist.

After competing in the 4x100m relay, Fu made headlines for her honesty. When the team came fourth she reflected on her performance by explaining she had come on her period and didn’t feel well.

Fu was praised for normalising the conversation around periods for women, still considered a “taboo” in the sporting world - in 2016. She was also praised in China for breaking taboos around tampons.