Athlete Refugee Team journey to WU20 Lima 24 captured in final U20 yearbook

For three members of the U20 World Athletics Athlete Refugee Team (ART), the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24 offered a remarkable ‘finish line’.

Following three years of preparation, teenage athletes Zinad Akulang Joseph, James Lomoi Lochauluka and Lokoro Dario stepped up to compete on the global stage, respectively racing the 200m, 400m and 3000m in Peru. 

This final edition of the U20 Athlete Refugee Team yearbook charts their journey, from the launch of the pioneering U20 project through to the team’s participation at the World U20 Championships.

In 2022, eight years after forming the senior refugee team, World Athletics embarked on a mission to create an U20 Athlete Refugee Team with emphasis on athletics and education. This pilot launched with an original group of 10 young refugee athletes from Kakuma Refugee Camp and Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement and the team increased to 15 athletes during the final two years. 

Between January 2022 and December 2024, World Athletics also trained six coaches – five of whom now hold both World Athletics Level I & Level II Coaches Education & Certification System (CECS) certificates. In collaboration with Athletics Kenya, a pathway was created for the U20 ART members to participate in local athletics competitions.

Joseph, Lochauluka and Dario were joined at the World Athletics U20 Championships Lima 24 by coaches Arcade Arakaza and Janeth Jepkosgei, the 2007 world 800m champion.

All five share their thoughts in this latest edition of the yearbook, which also includes comment from World Athletics President Sebastian Coe and Athletics Kenya President Jackson Tuwei.

“Through this U20 refugee programme, we came to terms with the unique needs of refugee athletes and fully recognise the value of professional training, monitoring and nurturing of refugee athletes from the U20 up to senior level,” said World Athletics’ Community Relations & Public Affairs Senior Manager Alice Annibali.

“Reflecting on the starting blocks in 2022, it was beyond our imagination that one of the original U20 refugee athletes would end up competing in the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” added Annibali, referring to senior ART member Perina Lokure Nakang. “This is the magic of our sport and the power of athletics.”