Refugee athletes will run at the Youth Olympics for the first time
Two teenage sprinters raised in Uganda after fleeing eastern Congo are among six refugees going to Dakar 2026.
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Kampala — For the first time, a Refugee Olympic Team will compete at the Youth Olympic Games, and two of its six athletes come from refugee communities in Uganda, Africanews reports. The Games run in Dakar from 31 October to 13 November, the first Olympic event held in Africa.
The sprinters
- Florence Masumbe, 16, fled instability in eastern DR Congo and has spent much of her life in the Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement in south-western Uganda. She believes athletics can change her life and help her get a good education.
- Rachid Rochene, a teenage sprinter who also fled eastern Congo, now lives in a Ugandan town. Competing in Dakar, he says, has been a dream since he was young.
Both were spotted through Game Connect, a six-year programme that uses sport to support young people's mental health, run with the Olympic Refuge Foundation. Its coordinator, Brandon Katura, says that a year ago they were running for fun; now they train with a purpose. The IOC and its partners in Uganda spent nearly $10,000 over the past year preparing them.
Source: Africanews, 22 October 2026.
