Refugee Athletes Set for Historic Youth Olympic Games Debut in Dakar

Six refugee athletes will make their debut at this year’s Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, marking a historic first for both Africa and the refugee team

The Games, scheduled to run from October 31 to November 13, will be the first edition of the Youth Olympic Games to be hosted on African soil.

For the six athletes, however, Dakar represents more than just another major sporting event; it is an opportunity to compete on one of the biggest stages in youth sport while representing millions of displaced people around the world.

The refugee team will compete in athletics, judo and taekwondo, with the squad comprising Rashid Rechene, Florence Masimbi, Clement Niyomuhoza, Nyataba Kuek, Lourance Namukiza and Arno Yfunga.

The athletes have spent weeks preparing for their first Olympic experience at Complete Sports in Kaptagat, Uasin Gishu County, Kenya.

Training in one of Kenya's renowned high-altitude training areas has allowed the athletes to sharpen their physical preparation while also developing a strong sense of team spirit ahead of their journey to Senegal.

The camp has given athletes from different backgrounds who have experienced displacement a chance to build friendships and team cohesion while preparing mentally and physically for the demands of international competition.

The refugee squad has described itself as fired up following the intensive preparations and is now looking forward to translating the work done in Kaptagat into performances in Dakar.

The team has also benefited from the guidance of some of Kenya's most respected sporting figures. Double Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge, who serves as a World Athletics Refugee Athletes mentor, has supported the athletes and believes refugees should have the opportunity to pursue their ambitions through sport.

His involvement has provided the young athletes with access to an Olympic champion whose career has been built on perseverance, discipline and an ability to overcome challenges.

For the athletes, that message is particularly significant as they prepare to compete for the first time at an Olympic event.

The athletes' preparations come against the backdrop of a growing global displacement crisis. The UNHCR estimates that more than 117 million people are currently forcibly displaced around the world.

In East and Southern Africa alone, there are 6.4 million refugees and asylum seekers, with almost half of them being children. Against that backdrop, the refugee team will carry a message that extends beyond sport when it takes to the field of play in Dakar.

Their participation provides a platform to highlight the talent and potential that exists among young refugees, while demonstrating how sport can create opportunities for people whose lives have been disrupted by displacement.

The team has been brought together through the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Refuge Foundation, with support from the National Olympic Committees of Kenya and Uganda, World Athletics, Athletics Kenya, UNHCR, and the national judo and taekwondo federations.

The collaboration has enabled the athletes to access training and competition opportunities as they prepare to compete alongside young athletes representing their respective countries.

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 talents on the global stage.

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

The exposure to local competitions has been an important part of their development, allowing the athletes to gain competitive experience before stepping onto the Olympic stage.

Yiech Pur Biel, the team's Chef de Mission, is optimistic about the squad's prospects and believes hosting the Games in Africa will make the occasion even more meaningful.

“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 talents in Africa and the globe,” said Biel.

The Games will therefore provide an important platform not only for the athletes but also for the continent, which will host the Youth Olympic Games for the first time.

The refugee team, selected from Kenya and Uganda, will line up against athletes wearing their respective national colours, creating a unique sporting environment in which the six athletes will compete under the refugee team banner.

Among those carrying the team's hopes in athletics is 16-year-old Rashid Rechene, a 200m sprinter from Congo who sought refuge in Uganda.

Rechene believes his time in training camp has already helped him discover a new level of potential as he prepares for Dakar.

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

His fellow 16-year-old sprinter Florence Masimbi is equally motivated by the opportunity. She said the team had drawn immense encouragement from its coaches and mentors as the athletes prepare to chase their Olympic ambitions.

Meanwhile, Kuek and Niyomuhoza, aged 17 and 16 respectively, will compete in the 800m, with both athletes hoping to make their own mark in what promises to be a memorable debut for the refugee team.

The team's representation extends beyond athletics. Arno Yfunga will compete in judo, while Lourance Namukiza will represent the refugee team in taekwondo.

Their participation gives the refugee squad representation across three different sports and underlines the range of sporting talent among young refugees in the region.

For all six athletes, Dakar will be an opportunity to test themselves against some of the world's most promising young competitors while gaining experience that could shape their sporting journeys for years to come.

The refugee athletes' journey is also part of a wider effort to ensure displaced young people have access to competitive sport beyond the Youth Olympic Games.

World Athletics Representative Alice Annibali said the global governing body was working with Athletics Kenya to incorporate refugees into local competitions, including cross-country, while strengthening safeguarding measures.

Such initiatives could provide a pathway for more refugee athletes to develop their talents through regular competition and access to structured training.