Refugee Sprinters Bound for Dakar Youth Games

Florence Masumbe and Rachid Rochene, two teenage sprinters who fled instability in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, will represent the Refugee Olympic Team at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games. The event runs from 31 October to 13 November in Senegal’s capital, marking the first time refugee athletes will compete at a Youth Olympic Games. Masumbe and Rochene are two of six refugee athletes selected for the squad.

Selection and Background

Masumbe, 16, has spent much of her life in the Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement, a predominantly rural area of south-western Uganda. Rochene lives in an urban part of the country. Game Connect, a six-year initiative that uses sport to improve mental health and wellbeing, identified their talent. For years, the Olympic Refuge Foundation and its partners in Uganda have used athletics to support displaced people and the communities that host them.

Rochene didn't hide his excitement. “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 saw practical possibilities in the opportunity. “I was so happy to have been selected to go to Dakar. 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.

Investment and Results

The International Olympic Committee and its partners in Uganda contributed nearly $10,000 over the past year to prepare the two sprinters. The funding paid for support to help them pursue their sporting ambitions, at a time when refugee athletes often struggle to access training, education and the equipment required to compete internationally.

Brandon Katura, coordinator of the initiative, described a clear change in attitude. “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 Game Connect model suggests focused, modest private and partner funding can accomplish something when it's directed toward specific people and goals. Ten thousand dollars spread across two athletes is a small outlay. The report links it directly to scholarship ambitions and self-reliance, rather than open-ended dependency.

The Bigger Picture

For the past decade, the IOC has promoted the inclusion of displaced athletes through the Refugee Olympic Team, giving people forced from their homes a chance to compete on the world stage. The Dakar Games extend that effort to a younger generation. The United Nations refugee agency estimates nearly 118 million people worldwide are forcibly displaced. One program can't match a problem of that scale.

For now, Masumbe and Rochene are focused on the track. Their participation also shows how sport can restore confidence, open doors and help young refugees imagine a future beyond displacement.

Why This Matters:

This story is about more than two sprinters. It shows how a small, targeted investment of roughly $10,000 over a year can help young people build skills, earn scholarships and eventually support their own families. That's the kind of outcome that rewards careful spending. The program focuses on individual goals, training and personal achievement, reflecting a philosophy of opportunity over dependence. Whether the approach can reach the nearly 118 million people the UN counts as displaced is a question the report leaves open. For now, success has a simple measure: whether Masumbe and Rochene come home from Dakar with better prospects than they had when they left Uganda.