LAUSANNE: In a historic milestone for the Olympic movement, Yiech Pur Biel, Chef de Mission, presented the Refugee Olympic Team (EOR) for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) at the 146th IOC Session. This marks the first time an EOR will compete at a Youth Olympic Games, following four appearances at the senior level (Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, and Paris 2024).
The newly formed team will comprise six athletes, boasting full gender parity, who will compete across three sports: athletics, judo, and taekwondo. Hosted by the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) of Kenya and Uganda, the team is composed entirely of African-based athletes, representing the millions of displaced young people across the continent.
The Dakar 2026 Refugee Olympic Team
The six athletes selected to compete in Dakar are:
| Athlete | Host NOC | Sport | Event |
| Arno | Kenya | Judo | -55kg (Men) |
| Clement | Kenya | Athletics | 800m (Men) |
| Florence | Uganda | Athletics | 200m (Women) |
| Lourance | Kenya | Taekwondo | -49kg (Women) |
| Nyataba | Kenya | Athletics | 800m (Women) |
| Rachid | Uganda | Athletics | 200m (Men) |
In his address to the IOC Session, Yiech Pur Biel emphasized the profound impact of the initiative.
“These young people have an opportunity to be great ambassadors and represent the millions of young refugees across the world. I look forward to seeing how these young athletes will do in Dakar and I will do my utmost to mentor them to do better during the competition but also in life. I really believe that Dakar will be a life-changing moment for them, but also for refugees watching them worldwide.”
A Pathway of Hope and Solidarity
The Dakar 2026 YOG, scheduled to take place from October 31 to November 13, represents a vital opportunity to elevate young refugee athletes and highlight Africa’s role in addressing global displacement. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimates that more than 117 million people are displaced globally in 2026, with 39% under the age of 18. East and Southern Africa currently host 16 million displaced individuals.
A number of the athletes were selected following rigorous trials in Kenya and Uganda. Notably, the athletes hosted in Uganda—a country sheltering nearly two million asylum seekers—were identified through Game Connect, a community sports program funded by the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF). This marks the first time the ORF’s grassroots initiatives have been directly linked to elite pathways through its Refugee Athlete Support program.
Preparing for the Games
The six selected athletes will soon participate in a specialized training camp in Kaptagat, Kenya, preparing alongside refugee athletes aiming for the LA28 Olympic Games. The ORF, supported by Olympic Solidarity, will continue to provide comprehensive support to the team in the run-up to the Opening Ceremony.
For Chef de Mission Pur Biel, who himself spent much of his youth in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya and competed in the inaugural EOR at Rio 2016, the mission is deeply personal.
“It has been 10 years since I competed at the Rio Olympic Games as a member of the first-ever Refugee Olympic Team. Since then, sport has truly changed my life. Sport has opened doors for me, and it has also allowed me to change the lives of other refugees – to be a role model for them and hopefully leave a legacy of inspiring others.”
