Refugee Team Makes Youth Olympics History in Senegal

A refugee team is competing at the Youth Olympics in Senegal, marking the first time a refugee team has participated in the event.

The athletes come from refugee camps in Kenya and Uganda and are taking part in judo, taekwondo, and track and field. Their participation gives the team a presence across three sporting disciplines at the international youth competition.

Team backed by Olympic organisations

The team was created by the International Olympic Committee and is managed by the Olympic Refuge Foundation. Its participation represents the first appearance of a refugee team at the Youth Olympics.

Florence Masumbe said she hoped the athletes’ involvement would demonstrate that refugees can succeed. She also said refugee athletes have the ability to achieve great things and expressed hope that the team would win medals.

Sport as a source of opportunity

For athletes from refugee backgrounds, the competition also reflects the role of training in creating opportunities and helping young people avoid difficult circumstances.

Arno Yafunga, who previously competed with the first Refugee Olympic Team to participate in the Youth Olympics held in Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly, said training had helped him stay away from gangs and other harmful situations in Nairobi.

The first Refugee Olympic Team competed at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, establishing a pathway for athletes affected by displacement to compete under the Olympic movement.

Arnold Yafunga urged young refugee athletes not to give up, saying that being a refugee does not mean their dreams have ended.

The refugee team’s appearance in Senegal extends that sporting pathway to the Youth Olympics and places athletes from Kenya and Uganda among competitors at the event.