The Japanese Olympic Committee welcomed refugee athlete Yusra Mardini to their headquarters in Tokyo ©JOC

The Japanese Olympic Committee welcomed refugee athlete Yusra Mardini to their headquarters in Tokyo.

Mardini, a 19-year-old Syrian-born swimmer, competed for the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) inaugural Refugee Olympic Team at Rio 2016.

She gave a speech in Tokyo, the host of the next Summer Games in 2020, alongside JOC vice president Yasuo Saito.

The teenager is currently serving as the youngest ever goodwill ambassador of the United Nations Refugees Agency.

She shared memories of Syria, which she had to flee in 2015 due to the conflict in the country.

After leaving with her sister, Mardini reached Lebanon and then Turkey before being smuggled into Greece by boat.

Yusra Mardini competed in the refugee team at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games ©Getty Images
Yusra Mardini competed in the refugee team at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games ©Getty Images

The swimmer, who competed for Syria at the World Short Course Championships in Istanbul in 2012, is now based in German capital Berlin.

Mardini also spoke about Rio 2016 and her hopes for Tokyo 2020.

The Refugees Olympic Team featured 10 athletes and was announced by IOC President Thomas Bach in March 2015.

Competitors born in South Sudan, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo were also represented.

Tegla Loroupe, Kenya's former marathon world record holder, served as Chef de Mission.

In Rio, Mardini did not advance from her heat in the women's 100 metres freestyle or 100m butterfly.