World Athletics signs MOU with UNHCR, furthering its commitment to working with refugees around the world

World Athletics is proud to announce signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to further its commitment to working with refugee athletes around the world.

The Memorandum of Understanding with the UN Refugee Agency builds on World Athletics’ long-standing collaboration with UNHCR and will help expand athletics’ positive impact on refugee athletes and communities worldwide.

“What began as a largely grassroots initiative at a refugee camp in Kenya ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games, has grown to become the world’s only year-round full-time refugee team programme,” World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said. “The programme will only grow stronger thanks to our ongoing collaboration and friendship with UNHCR.”

The team made its first competitive appearance as part of the Refugee Olympic Team at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero, a debut that became a source of inspiration for tens of millions of displaced persons from around the world and whose stories resonated with millions more.

World Athletics built on that foundation to create what is now a formalised team – albeit one whose athletes are currently spread across eight countries – which has competed as the Athlete Refugee Team (ART) in nearly all World Athletics Series events since.

Members of the team of four who will be competing at this weekend’s World Athletics Road Running Championships Copenhagen 26 were present at the signing ceremony today in the Danish capital.

Jorge Olague, UNHCR’s Head of Private Sector Partnerships, who also attended the ceremony, said: “At UNHCR we recognise the power and potential of sport to transform the lives of refugees and all those forced to flee violence, conflict and persecution. We thank World Athletics for their commitment to providing opportunities to young refugees through athletics and helping change the narrative on forced displacement with the Athlete Refugee Team."

While its relationship with UNHCR began in 2020, World Athletics formalised the collaboration when signing on to the Joint Sport Pledge launched by the Sport for Refugees Coalition at the Global Refugee Forum in December 2023, and reaffirmed its commitment to the pledge at the Global Refugee Forum Progress Review in December 2025, highlighting its support to talented refugee athletes by offering them competition opportunities at global and continental competitions.

The MOU outlines current and future priority areas for cooperation where the respective and complementary tools, capacities and expertise of the two organisations can be optimised and assistance towards forcibly displaced and stateless persons can be improved.

The purpose of this MOU is for UNHCR and World Athletics to commit to continue assisting and upholding the rights of refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other persons of concern to UNHCR and affected communities through partnership using athletics as a tool for inclusion and protection globally.

The specific objectives of the partnership between UNHCR and World Athletics include:

· Providing opportunities for young athletes from affected communities to access elite athletics programmes, including training camps, coaching opportunities and media training;

· Promoting and facilitating equal access to and participation of refugees and other persons of concern in relevant athletics competitions at local, national, continental and international levels, including at the Youth Olympics Games Dakar 2026 and the World Athletics Championships Beijing 2027;

· Increasing the availability and access to organised athletics and sport-based initiatives for refugee and hosting communities, actively considering age, gender, ability and other diversity needs, including through the World Athletics Kids’ Athletic Programme;

· Promoting the mental health and wellbeing of young refugees through joint communications and advocacy initiatives; and

· Promoting the protection of refugee athletes through the implementation of the World Athletics Safeguarding Policy in collaboration with the Athletics Integrity Unit and UNHCR’s Protection Policy and Guidance.

To further those objectives, UNHCR and World Athletics have agreed to collaborate in the areas of protection, inclusion, advocacy and sports diplomacy, communication and the support of elite sports.

Athletics Kenya, along with the country’s national Olympic committee NOCK, has also played a pivotal role in the Athlete Refugee Team programme, providing logistical support, training and competition opportunities to several refugee athletes based in Kenya. Athletics Kenya president Jackson Tuwei, who is also a World Athletics Council Vice President, also attended the signing ceremony.

Kenyan athletes have also provided inspiration during the programme’s first decade, including two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge, who has served as a mentor for the Athlete Refugee Team since 2023.

In a video message addressing both the refugee team programme MOU and the Sports for Nature initiative also announced in Copenhagen, the former world record-holder said: “As sports men and women, we have the power to make a difference. And the more we consolidate our efforts for a better world, the brighter future we will leave behind for the planet, our children and future generations.”