NOC-K President Paul Tergat participates in a maasai dance with athletes at the Complete Sports Training Centre (© Stephen Rutto)
In a quiet village on the edge of Kaptagat Forest in Kenya, away from the hustle and bustle of Eldoret City, a story of hope is written one stride at a time through resilience, transformation and peace.
As the world came together at the serene Complete Sports Training Centre nestled in the breathtaking highlands of Kaptagat to mark World Refugee Day on Friday (20), gigantic dreams stood at the centre of every move.
Complete Sports, in partnership with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K), and in collaboration with World Athletics and Athletics Kenya (AK), joined efforts to deliver a groundbreaking initiative. The focus was to accelerate the momentum in the realisation of big dreams that the athlete refugees, like their counterparts that fly the flags of their nations in international championships, harbour.
The life-changing collaboration was officially launched by IOC Member and NOC-K President Paul Tergat alongside the committee’s Secretary General Francis Mutuku and senior officials from Athletics Kenya and Complete Sports, who welcomed Perina Lokure Nakang, Susan Nakiru, Solomon Ayela Okeny, Abdifatah Aden Hassan and Kun Waar Liem into the programme in April. Liem, who is a sprinter, is based in Nairobi, while middle- and long-distance runners Nakang, Nakiru, Okeny and Hassan are based at Complete Sports.
They were selected for the IOC Refugee Athlete Scholarship programme after trials in Kakuma in February. This noble partnership has not only provided world-class training to the four Complete Sports-based refugee athletes but also weaved them into the fabric of a vibrant and supportive athletics community. Ever since early April, their story has been nothing short of inspiring.
Jackson Tuwei plants a tree with refugee athletes at the Complete Sports Training Centre (© Stephen Rutto)
“When you go to Kakuma Refugee Camp, the most written statement is hope away from home and that is exactly what we are offering them. They have great talents which need to be invested in. We want those that train with us to show the world that we can make it,” said Janeth Jepkosgei, the 2007 world 800m champion and Athlete Refugee Team head coach. “Sport is the most important thing that can bring peace to the world and we celebrate the athlete refugees.”
Jepkosgei and Complete Sports Director Japheth Kimutai, the 1998 Commonwealth 800m champion, have built an environment where dreams are nurtured, talents sharpened and dignity restored.
Training alongside 35 resident athletes and budding talents from the surrounding Cheptigit community, the athlete refugees have fully integrated into the daily training regimen which includes routine morning runs, evening intervals, forest trails and strength sessions in high altitude.
At the training camp, their commitment to training is visible in every workout and their gratitude, in every smile. Hope is palpable in their faces.
Nakang, a 400m and 800m athlete who has competed at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23, World Athletics Cross Country Championships Belgrade 24 and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games celebrated her achievements during the day.
Just before the celebrations, the 22-year-old claimed 400m victory at the Central Rift Athletics Kenya regional track and field championships staged at the Eliud Kipchoge Sports Complex in Kapsabet.
“This opportunity has changed my life,” said Nakang, a refugee athlete from South Sudan. “We are training with the best, living in peace and dreaming again.”
Nakang and her fellow refugee athletes will take part in the upcoming Kenyan national trials for the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 set for 25-27 June at the Ulinzi Sports Complex in Nairobi. This initiative aligns with World Athletics’ global mission to use the sport as the springboard to inclusion and empowerment, especially for talented refugee athletes displaced by conflict and adversity.
Among the day’s highlights was a tree planting session which symbolised growth and renewal and demonstrated the role of athletics in environmental conservation.
In addition, the refugee athletes sang and danced with their Kenyan counterparts as they shared their lofty dreams of competing at the country’s upcoming national trials. They also shared a Unity Meal – a ‘Table of Cultures’ which was a community-style lunch featuring diverse dishes suggested by the refugee athletes themselves. It was a celebration of the culinary richness of different cultures, reflecting the multicultural nature of the athletes’ backgrounds.
The surprise special guest was former marathon world record-holder, two-time Olympic champion and global ambassador for refugees, Eliud Kipchoge, who highlighted the unifying power of athletics.
Surprise special guest Eliud Kipchoge is welcomed for the speaker session by Japheth Kimutai and Janeth Jepkosgei (© Stephen Rutto)
Kipchoge made a passionate plea to athlete refugees, urging them to use sport to send strong messages of peace to nations ravaged by conflict. He further encouraged them not to be bogged down by their refugee status and instead set their eyes on charging to podium spots like other athletes who represent their countries at international championships.
“You have what it takes to be champions. I advise you to avoid any trouble,” the marathon legend said. “Prove to the entire world that refugees who are away from their home countries can be successful in athletics. Use the opportunity to gain education because it is important to have knowledge, even as you pursue your careers in sports.”
Complete Sports Director Kimutai said the selected refugee athletes have shown potential in their two months of training at the Kaptagat-based training facility. Kimutai added that the coaches led by Jepkosgei have honed the careers of the refugee athletes and placed them into their right disciplines after an assessment of their potential.
“This partnership is not just about running, it's about rewriting stories,” Kimutai said. “An athlete like Solomon Ayela came in when he did not know the event he could specialise in, and he was given technical advice by Jepkosgei. He was running 200m but is now doing 400m and he might be a strong 800m athlete.
“These athletes have overcome unimaginable challenges, but when they step on to the track, they do as well as other athletes. They have confidence and are strong.”
Both NOC-K President Tergat and AK President Lt. General (Rtd) Jackson Tuwei honoured the refugee athletes by joining them on this World Refugee Day.
Tergat said it was heartwarming that sport was being used as a vehicle to a united world.
“We are celebrating our brothers and sisters who are facing instability in their countries,” the two-time world half marathon champion said during the celebrations. “With the programmes that we have through the IOC and Olympic Refugee Foundation, we have given athletes the opportunity to pursue their talent and have dignity.”
Tuwei said refugees were talented in a range of sporting disciplines and noted that the Kenyan federation had given asylum seekers opportunities to compete and be spotted and celebrated during its track and field championships.
Tuwei, who is also a World Athletics Vice President, said Kipchoge was asked to share his experience accumulated in 22 years of professional running.
“For the first time, the athletes will be participating in the Youth Olympics in Dakar in 2026,” Tuwei said. “We have seen them performing extremely well; all they need is support in coaching.”
Also present at the day’s ceremony was athlete Irene Jepkemboi, who has trained at Complete Sports and was fresh from setting a Kenyan javelin record of 60.31m at the NCAA Championships in the USA.
Cheptigit community, which surrounds the camp, also joined in marking World Refugee Day. Present was village elder, Salina Birir, who has also become the cheering squad leader of the Kenyan and refugee athletes training at Complete Sports. She said that she would continue being the No.1 fan as she was during the Central Rift Regional Championships on 14 June.
Village elder Salina Birir who embraces the refugee athletes into her community with open arms (© Stephen Rutto)
“I will attend any competition venue to cheer them on. I was happy when I cheered Perina in Kapsabet and she won,” said Birir, who was accompanied by Cheptigit location chief Isaac Salil.
Adjacent schools, among them Cheptigit Comprehensive and Secondary, were lauded for admitting U20 athletes including athlete refugees training at Complete Sports. This year’s event was themed ‘Community as a Superpower’. At Complete Sports, Kimutai said, the theme resonated well with the training camp’s ideals and more importantly, reflected its experience.
For the refugee athletes, it was a touching and moving moment as they witnessed a community coming together and accepting them with open arms. As the village elder put it, these refugee athletes are her children too.
Stephen Rutto for World Athletics
