Refugee Athletes Carry Displacement Story to Dakar

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

A place on the team

Rochene said he wants to test himself against other competitors and pursue medals. “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, 16, 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 selection brings two young people displaced from the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to an international sporting event, where they’ll represent the Refugee Olympic Team.

Masumbe said she hopes athletics and participation in the Games will open opportunities for her and her family, while encouraging other refugee children. “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.

Sport and preparation

Game Connect, a six-year initiative to improve mental health and wellbeing through sport, identified the athletes’ talents. The Olympic Refuge Foundation and its partners in Uganda selected them after working to support displaced people and host communities through sport.

Brandon Katura, coordinator of the initiative, said the programme had given the athletes renewed purpose and ambitions. “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 contributed nearly $10,000 over the past year to prepare Masumbe and Rochene for the competition. That funding covered work to help them pursue their sporting ambitions. Refugee athletes face challenges accessing training, education and the resources required to compete internationally.

A wider refugee team

For the past decade, the International Olympic Committee has promoted the inclusion of displaced athletes through the Refugee Olympic Team. The team has enabled people forced to flee their homes to compete internationally; the Youth Olympic Games will bring the initiative to a younger generation.

The United Nations refugee agency says nearly 118 million people worldwide are forcibly displaced. In Dakar, Masumbe and Rochene will focus on their performances on the track. Their participation also highlights sport’s potential to restore confidence, create opportunities and help young refugees imagine a future beyond displacement.