These 5 Arab Olympians will inspire you on #OlympicDay

June 23 marks the international Olympic Day, a day celebrated around the world through sporting and cultural activities, such as marathons, exhibitions, concerts and educational seminars.

Olympic Day was introduced in 1948 to honor the birth of the modern Olympic Games, which took place on June 23, 1894 in Paris, when the official International Olympic Committee was established. The aim behind the day is to spread the Olympic ideals and promote the importance of health and physical activity, regardless of age, gender or athletic ability. Olympic Day activities mainly target three pillars: moving, learning and discovering.

In the spirit of the 2016 Olympic Day, and in hopes of triggering some Olympic vibes that make you get off that couch, put that phone away and do all the awesome activities you’ve been postponing, here are 5 inspirational Olympic and Paralympic Arab athletes:

Throughout her journey to the 1992 Olympic Games, this Algerian runner faced a series of serious death threats from religious extremists who thought the racetrack was not the right place for a woman. However, she still went to Barcelona and won Algeria’s first gold Olympic medal.

"It was a symbol of victory, of defiance. It was to say: 'I did it! I won! And now, if you kill me, it'll be too late. I've made history," the champion said .

This Egyptian table-tennis player is one of a kind, literally. He is the world’s only known para-athlete who plays the game with his mouth, competes and excels at it. Hamadtou lost both his arms in a train accident at the age of 10, but he refused to let go of his love for the sport. He tried several methods before settling on holding the racket with his mouth, despite crucial neck pain and losing all his teeth, which he replaced with artificial ones.

Hamadtou won silver medals for the class 6 category at the 2015, 2013 and 2011 African Paralympic Championships. He has also played against the world’s top able-bodied players and given them a hard time they did not see coming. The hero has reserved his spot at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games starting Sep. 7.

“The disability is not in arms or legs, the disability is to not persevere in whatever you would like to do,” he said.

This swimmer fled war-torn Syria and earned hero-status on her way to Greece. When the motor of the boat – exceeding its intended capacity by around thirteen people – stopped in the middle of the Aegean Sea, there were only three people onboard who could swim. Yusra Mardini, her sister and another woman got into the water and pushed the boat for roughly four hours until they reached land. The horrible experience made her despise open sea, but her passion for swimming remained intact. After settling in Germany, where she has been training hard, she was selected as one of ten athletes who will compete in the Rio 2016 Olympics with the first-ever team of Refugee Olympic Athletes .

“I want everyone to stay strong for their goals in life because if you have your goals in front of your eyes, you will do everything you can; and I think even if I fail I will try again. Maybe I will be sad, but I will not show it, and I will try again and again until I get it. I want to show everybody that it’s hard to arrive at your dreams, but it’s not impossible. You can do it; everyone can do it,” Mardini said .

While training for and competing in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games – "Egypt’s Golden Fish" – managed to become a medical doctor specialized in Obstetrics and Gynecology. This swimmer became the youngest Egyptian athlete to ever take part in the Olympics when she participated in the 1992 Barcelona Games at the age of 14. She was offered eleven university scholarships in the United States after winning three gold, two silver and one bronze World Cup medals in 1994-1995, plus three medals in the USA Junior Nationals.

Elwani chose to study at the Southern Methodist University in Texas, then went back to Egypt for medical school. “Education is important. A good athlete is a smart athlete,” she asserts, according to Kingfut .

Elwani has committed herself to targeting development issues in the region and advocating for peace through sport. She earned herself a spot among the members of the IOC from 2004-2012 and currently is a member of the foundation board of the World Anti-Doping Agency, where she represents the Association of National Olympic Committees.

Kuwait’s Paralympian is the human embodiment of the saying “Never let it rest until your good is better and your better is best."

He competed in the Paralympic Games three times, moving one step closer towards his target gold medal after each participation. Mutairi won bronze at the club throw event in the 1988 South Korea Paralympics, silver at the javelin throw event in Barcelona 1992 and finally secured the gold for the javelin throw in Atlanta 1996.