The refugee team competed at the Youth Olympic Games for the first time, with six young African athletes representing displaced youth in Dakar.
The team’s arrival at the inaugural African Youth Olympics is a milestone event for the Olympic series in Africa.
The team’s members, all from Africa, competed in athletics, judo, and taekwondo. Their participation marks a decade-long evolution of the IOC’s commitment to refugee athletes, who first entered the Olympic arena at the 2016 Rio Games.
Arno Yafugaga Competes in Dakar with His Father
Among the team, 15-year-old Arno Yafugaga and his father, Arnold Yafugaga, shared a particularly poignant journey. The pair traveled from the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya to compete in Dakar, with the father serving as his son’s coach.
Arno Yafugaga became the first refugee athlete to compete at a Youth Olympic Games, reaching the bronze medal match in the men’s 55 kg judo category before finishing fifth.
“This is the first time an Olympic event has come to Africa, on such a scale. Seeing Arno compete here, I am incredibly happy, my dream has come true,” his father told reporters. “He did his best. In judo, if you fall, you get back up. I believe this is a good start for his career.”
Arnold Yafugaga gave up his own Olympic dream as a young judoka to support his family. After fleeing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s East region in 2017 and settling in the Kakuma camp, he reignited his passion for judo, this time as an instructor for his son.
“As a coach, my father understands my strengths and weaknesses better than any other coach,” the younger Yafugaga said. “Wherever I go, he inspires me, always by my side. He is my role model.”
A Legacy of Resilience
Yiech Pur Biel, a South Sudanese refugee who competed for the refugee team in Rio in 2016, returned to Dakar this year as the team’s leader.
“Ten years have passed since I competed as a refugee athlete. Today, we are in Dakar, participating in the first Olympic series event on the African continent,” Pur Biel said. “We all come from countries ravaged by war, we have all suffered setbacks and lived through traumatic experiences. But now, through sports, we can find a safe and stable environment.”
He emphasized that the team’s goal extends beyond competition. “Our refugee identity should not be the label that defines us,” Pur Biel stated. “Through sports, we can change the world.”
The Refugee Team’s participation has grown since its Rio debut, expanding its numbers at the Tokyo Olympics and winning its first medal at the Paris Games.
Athletes Aim to Inspire
Clément Nyomhouza, the 16-year-old team captain and an athlete, spoke to this mission.
“Some people think that as refugees, we have no talent and no ability to do sports. But for me, this competition is extraordinary because we want to show everyone our ability. We want to prove that even as refugees, if we have a talent in something, we can also succeed,” Nyomhouza said.
As captain, Nyomhouza hopes his story encourages children in refugee camps to pursue sports. “If children want to do sports, whether it’s athletics, taekwondo, judo, or boxing, as long as it’s a sport they love, they can work hard at it and have a chance to succeed,” he added.
Scholarships Support the Team for Future Olympics
Pur Biel explained that the foundation offers scholarships, which funded the team’s participation in Dakar and will support them as they target the 2028 Los Angeles and 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
From Rio to Dakar, the faces on the Refugee Team have changed.
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