Young Uganda-based refugees chase their Olympic dream in Senegal

The Refugee Olympic Team is an IOC-supported team for athletes who have been forced to flee their homes. It gives displaced competitors a place on the international stage when displacement has separated them from their original sporting systems. Its purpose is both athletic and symbolic. It shows that refugees can pursue high-level ambitions despite upheaval.

Florence Masumbe and Rachid Rochene fled instability in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and now live in Uganda. They were selected among six refugee athletes for Dakar 2026. Their selection places them on the Refugee Olympic Team instead of linking their participation to a national delegation. The article presents this as part of the IOC's decade-long effort to include displaced athletes.

Their appearance also expands the initiative to younger competitors. The Dakar Games will be the first Youth Olympic Games featuring refugee athletes. Masumbe and Rochene can now compete, seek educational opportunities, and represent other young refugees facing displacement.

The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games are an international youth sporting event in Senegal's capital. They will run from 31 October to 13 November. The Games matter in this story because they will give young refugee athletes a chance to compete alongside athletes from other countries. Participation can also connect sport with education and future opportunities.

Six refugee athletes have been selected, including teenage sprinters Florence Masumbe and Rachid Rochene. They fled instability in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and now live in Uganda. Their selection means the Refugee Olympic Team will appear at the Youth Olympic Games for the first time. The article does not identify an earlier refugee-athlete entry at this event.

The milestone extends the IOC's broader work. For about a decade, the IOC has promoted displaced athletes through the Refugee Olympic Team. Dakar brings that opportunity to a younger generation and gives refugee children a visible example of ambition after displacement.

Six refugee athletes have been selected to compete at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games. They will make history because this is the first time refugee athletes will compete at the event. Their presence connects an international sports competition with the much larger experience of people displaced from their homes.

Florence Masumbe and Rachid Rochene are two of the six. Both are teenage sprinters who fled instability in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and now live in Uganda. Their selection followed sporting work in Uganda, including Game Connect, and preparation supported by the IOC and partners. Nearly $10,000 was contributed over the past year for their preparation.

The wider scale is stark. The United Nations refugee agency estimates that nearly 118 million people worldwide are forcibly displaced. Dakar cannot represent every displaced person, but the athletes' participation offers visibility and a message of possibility. It also extends opportunities for refugee athletes to a younger generation.

Masumbe and Rochene are teenage sprinters who fled instability in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The article does not describe the exact violence, incident, or personal circumstances that caused either youngster to leave. It identifies instability as the reason for their flight and Uganda as their current home.

Their lives in Uganda differ. Rochene lives in an urban part of the country. Masumbe, now 16, has spent much of her life in the Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement, a predominantly rural area in south-western Uganda. Their sporting abilities were later identified through a programme using athletics to support displaced people and host communities.

That journey led to selection for the Refugee Olympic Team at Dakar 2026. The article presents their move from displacement to international competition as a difficult path requiring training, support, and opportunity. It does not provide further details about their families' journeys, their specific routes, or the precise events in eastern Congo.

Game Connect is a six-year initiative that uses sport to improve mental health and wellbeing. It helped identify Masumbe's and Rochene's athletic abilities in Uganda. The programme worked with displaced people and host communities, creating a setting where young people could take part, be noticed, and develop confidence through athletics.

Brandon Katura, the initiative's coordinator, said they may once have run for fun or simply to pass time. Their involvement changed that outlook. They became excited about travel and competition, and began wanting scholarships for school. The key mechanism was regular sporting opportunity combined with encouragement and a pathway toward larger goals.

The Olympic Refuge Foundation and its partners supported this wider effort. The IOC and partners in Uganda contributed nearly $10,000 over the past year to prepare the athletes. That support covered work needed for their competition. Together, the programme and funding helped connect talent with training, international competition, education hopes, and a renewed sense of purpose.

Competing in Dakar could give Masumbe and Rochene more than a race. They hope athletics can lead to education, scholarships, and a better future. Rochene wants to compete successfully and even imagine winning medals or setting a world record. The event gives both athletes an international platform for those ambitions.

Masumbe connects her sporting future directly to her family. She said continuing with athletics could transform her life and help her obtain a good school. She also hopes her family members will have better opportunities. Rochene and other young athletes have begun looking toward scholarships, showing how sport can become a pathway to education.

The impact could extend beyond the pair. Masumbe wants other refugee children to be inspired by their participation. Their appearance also carries a broader message about restoring confidence and imagining a future beyond displacement. The article does not promise specific awards or scholarships, but it identifies these possibilities as important hopes.

Refugee athletes may struggle to access stable training, education, equipment, and the resources needed for international competition. Displacement can interrupt schooling, routines, and sporting development. The article directly highlights these access challenges, although it does not detail every barrier. Masumbe's rural settlement and Rochene's urban setting also show that refugee experiences can differ.

Sport helps by creating regular activity and a supportive route toward goals. Game Connect was designed to improve mental health and wellbeing. It identified the pair's talent and helped change running from a way to pass time into a serious ambition. Support from the Olympic Refuge Foundation, the IOC, and partners provided preparation for Dakar.

This process can restore confidence and purpose after upheaval. It can also connect athletes to scholarships, schooling, travel, and international competition. Masumbe hopes her participation will inspire other refugee children. Their Dakar appearance therefore matters both for performance on the track and for imagining a future beyond displacement.