Refugee Sprinters Face Unequal Olympic Access

“I was so happy to have been selected to go to Dakar,” said Florence Masumbe, a 16-year-old sprinter who hopes the Games can change her life. She and Rachid Rochene, two teenagers who fled instability in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and now live in Uganda, will represent the Refugee Olympic Team at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games. Their chance to compete comes through a tightly organized institutional pathway, even as refugee athletes still face barriers to training, education and the resources needed for international competition.

A starting line shaped by displacement

The Games will take place in Senegal’s capital from 31 October to 13 November. They’ll be the first Youth Olympic Games to include refugee athletes. Masumbe and Rochene are among six selected for the team.

Rochene called the opportunity a childhood dream. “I feel good, I feel so wonderful. You know, this was a dream since I was young. I wanted to compete with people, to see how I can also do, to also achieve medals. You know, why not also a world record.”

Masumbe has spent much of her life in the Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement, in a predominantly rural area of south-western Uganda. Rochene lives in an urban part of the country. Their circumstances differ, but both face the challenge described in the report: refugee athletes struggle to access training, education and the resources required to compete internationally.

Masumbe sees athletics as a possible route to education and better prospects for her family and other young refugees. “I know if I continue with athletics, it will transform my life and I can get a good school. My family members will also have better opportunities, and even other refugee children will be inspired,” she said.

The support behind the selection

Game Connect, a six-year initiative designed to improve mental health and wellbeing through sport, identified their athletic talents. The selection followed years of work by the Olympic Refuge Foundation and its partners in Uganda, who use sport to support displaced people and host communities.

Brandon Katura, the initiative’s coordinator, said the athletes’ ambitions had changed. “Seven months or a year ago, they were probably running for fun, or they came out for trials just to do it as a way of passing time because they were free,” he said. “Now you find that they are excited, they are looking forward to travelling. They are looking forward to competing with people from other countries. They want to get scholarships for school.”

The International Olympic Committee and its partners in Uganda gave nearly $10,000 over the past year to prepare Masumbe and Rochene for the competition. That money supported work toward their sporting ambitions. The report doesn’t say it removes the wider barriers refugee athletes face.

A team, and the limits around it

For the past decade, the International Olympic Committee has promoted the inclusion of displaced athletes through the Refugee Olympic Team, giving people forced to flee their homes a chance to compete internationally. The Youth Olympic Games bring that initiative to a younger generation, but the source describes continuing obstacles to training, education and competition resources.

The United Nations refugee agency says nearly 118 million people worldwide are forcibly displaced. Masumbe and Rochene are focused on their performances in Dakar. Their participation also highlights sport’s potential to restore confidence, create opportunities and help young refugees imagine a future beyond displacement. Access to the international track still depends on selection and organized support.