Young refugee athletes coaching in Kenya are focusing on Olympic medals as they put together to make historical past on the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, the place a refugee workforce will compete for the primary time….
Young refugee athletes coaching in Kenya are focusing on Olympic medals as they put together to make historical past on the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, the place a refugee workforce will compete for the primary time.
The six athletes, drawn from refugee communities in Kenya and Uganda, are making ready to compete in athletics, judo and taekwondo on the Games scheduled to run from October 31 to November 13 in Senegal.
Footage filmed on Tuesday confirmed the athletes sprinting, practising footwork drills and lining up on the beginning line as coaches guided their preparations.
Among them is Rachid Rochene, a 200-metre runner who fled battle within the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a baby.
Recalling his early days on the monitor, Rochene stated the dimensions of the stadium initially left him nervous, however coaching had helped him construct confidence.
“We began running on the track barefoot. Like, they put you on the track, and you get fear. Yeah, the stadium is too big. You get nervous. But now at least I have confidence,” he stated.
Rochene is certainly one of three boys and three women chosen for the Refugee Olympic Team, which can symbolize displaced younger individuals on the competitors.
For 800-metre runner Clement Niyomuhoza, the Games supply a chance to problem stereotypes about refugees and exhibit their potential via sport.
“Many people think that refugees cannot do anything and they just need to stay in the camp, but on my side, it means a lot because we are going to show that refugees have talent,” he stated.
Niyomuhoza can be decided to make his mark on the monitor, setting his sights firmly on the highest of the rostrum.
“If I am going to Dakar, I’m sure I’m going to win a medal. Not even silver or bronze, but the gold one. And another one, I want to compete in more Olympics, like LA,” he stated, referring to the Los Angeles Olympic Games.
The athletes’ participation is anticipated to spotlight the function of sport in creating alternatives for younger individuals affected by battle and displacement.
The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games will carry collectively younger athletes from internationally for a global sporting competitors in Senegal.
The occasion will mark the primary time an Olympic sporting occasion is held on African soil, making it a landmark second for the continent.
For the six refugee athletes, nevertheless, the competitors represents greater than a historic milestone. It is a chance to compete on the highest degree of youth sport, problem perceptions about refugees and encourage others dwelling in displacement.
