Six refugee athletes to make historic debut at Youth Olympics in Dakar, Senegal

Legendary Kenyan marathoner Eliud Kipchoge poses for a photo with some of the Dakar-bound refugee athletes/HANDOUT

The team will compete in athletics, judo and taekwondo, marking a significant milestone for young athletes, who were forced to flee their homes but are now pursuing their sporting dreams on the global stage.

The six — Rashid Rechene, Florence Masimbi, Clement Niyomuhoza, Nyataba Kuek, Lourance Namukiza and Arno Yfunga — have been preparing at Complete Sports in Kaptagat, Uasin Gishu County, where they have undergone intensive physical and mental training while building team cohesion.

Double Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge, who serves as a World Athletics Refugee Athletes mentor, said refugees deserve the same opportunities as other young people to realise their potential.

The team’s preparations come against the backdrop of increasing global displacement and efforts to use sport as a platform for inclusion and opportunity. The International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Refuge Foundation brought the team together with support from the National Olympic Committees of Kenya and Uganda, World Athletics, Athletics Kenya, UNHCR, and the national judo and taekwondo federations.

Barnaba Korir, the First Deputy President of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK), said the refugee athletes had been given an important opportunity to showcase their talent.

“Kenya has given them a chance to compete in school games and Athletics Kenya events. We want to show the world that they can compete at the global stage and see what Kenyans have done,” he said.

Yiech Pur Biel, the team’s Chef de Mission, believes the Dakar Games will carry special significance for both Africa and refugees. “Dakar will mean a lot for Africa and refugees.

It means a lot to us because Africa hosts the largest number of refugees. They are creating chances for talent in Africa and the globe,” said Biel.

The refugee team, selected from Kenya and Uganda, will compete against athletes representing their respective countries. For Rechene, a 16-year-old 200m sprinter from Congo who sought refuge in Uganda, Dakar represents a chance to gain valuable international exposure.

“Dakar 2026 is a great chance for us as refugee youth. The training is good, and we like the facility. I have improved my speed and time. I now know my potential, and I’m sprinting better and faster,” said Rechene.

Masimbi, also 16, said the team had drawn immense motivation from its coaches and mentors as the athletes prepare for their first Olympic experience. Kuek, 17, and Niyomuhoza, 16, will compete in the 800m, while Yfunga and Namukiza will represent the team in judo and taekwondo respectively.

World Athletics representative Alice Annibali said the governing body was working with Athletics Kenya to integrate refugee athletes into local competitions, including cross-country, while strengthening safeguarding measures.

For the six athletes, however, Dakar represents more than competition. It is an opportunity to prove that displacement does not have to end a young athlete’s dreams — and that the Olympic movement can provide a platform for a new generation to be seen, heard and given a chance to compete.