Olympic Refugee Foundation, World Athletics and Athletics Kenya representatives at the IOC headquarters
World Athletics pledged to continue its support for refugee athletes – at the Youth Olympic Games, World Athletics Championships and beyond – during the Global Refugee Forum Progress Review in Geneva.
The position of World Athletics as a member of the Sport for Refugees Coalition was recognised during the three-day meeting at the Geneva International Conference Centre, held from 15-17 December, as more than 30 new pledges were made.
Forced displacement now exceeds 120 million people globally and sport remains a powerful tool for protection, wellbeing and social inclusion.
World Athletics joined the coalition in 2023 and since the Global Refugee Forum that took place that year, coalition members have collectively supported more than 529,000 people through sport and play-based activities, over 11,000 trained coaches delivering safe and inclusive sessions, and more than 160 sport spaces that have been created or refurbished.
The latest two-year pledge by World Athletics centres around the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar in 2026 and the World Championships in Beijing in 2027.
World Athletics was represented in Geneva by World Athletics Vice President and Athletics Kenya President Jackson Tuwei, following Athletics Kenya’s support of World Athletics’ refugee programme since 2016.
“World Athletics reaffirms our commitment to the Joint Sport Pledge, providing opportunities through sport and using our platform to showcase the talent of refugee athletes, challenge perceptions and shift narratives,” said Tuwei.
“Athletics is not just about competitions and results but also the physical and mental wellbeing of an athlete. Through athletics, we strive to create environments where people forced to flee belong and thrive.”
He also explained how World Athletics’ support goes beyond providing competition opportunities.
“World Athletics will sponsor more training camps for selected refugee athletes, increase the number of certified refugee coaches, provide media training, and continue to offer value-in-kind provisions to the refugee teams,” he added.
“Through the implementation of the World Athletics Safeguarding Policy and in collaboration with the Athletics Integrity Unit, we will be vigilant and proactive in the protection and wellbeing of refugee athletes within our programme.”
Since its creation in 2016, the World Athletics Athlete Refugee Team (ART) has evolved into the world's only year-round full-time refugee team programme. The team made its first competitive appearance as part of the Refugee Olympic Team at the 2016 Olympic Games and has competed at most World Athletics Series events since. The U20 team was formed as a pilot in 2022.
Nine years after the first ART programme was established in Kenya, the Olympic Refuge Foundation and World Athletics jointly extended the initiative to neighbouring Uganda in collaboration with the National Olympic Committee, Uganda Athletics and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). As recently announced, 12 U18 athletes were selected for the ART and are now candidates for the 2026 Youth Refugee Olympic Team following the trial event held in Kampala.
It will be the first time that a refugee team will compete at the Youth Olympic Games. With the event taking place for the first time in Africa, a continent hosting millions of refugees, it is hoped that the initiative will raise greater awareness about the plight of refugees and its impact on families, especially young people.
World Athletics’ two-year pledge:
“World Athletics reaffirms its commitment to the Joint Sport Pledge, providing opportunities through sport, and using our platform to showcase the talent of refugee athletes, challenge perceptions and shift narratives.
“World Athletics will pursue its commitment to supporting talented refugee athletes by offering them competition opportunities. This includes, in collaboration with the Olympic Refuge Foundation, the participation of the first athletics refugee team at the Youth Olympics Games Dakar 2026 and, the following year, the senior World Athletics Championships Beijing 27.
“We will encourage our member federations to grow opportunities for refugee athletes to access and participate, as well as to compete in local, national and continental competitions.
“World Athletics will sponsor more training camps for selected refugee athletes, increase the number of certified refugee coaches, provide media training, and continue to offer value in kind provisions to the refugee teams.
“Through the implementation of the World Athletics Safeguarding Policy and in collaboration with the Athletics Integrity Unit, we will be vigilant and proactive in the protection and wellbeing of refugee athletes within our programme. Athletics is not just about competitions and results but also the physical and mental wellbeing of an athlete. Through athletics we strive to create environments where people forced to flee belong and thrive.”
World Athletics