Eliud Kipchoge to Mentor 12 Young Refugee Athletes in Uganda Ahead of Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games

Five-time Berlin Marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge, through World Athletics, will mentor 12 young athletes living as refugees in Uganda on their journey toward Dakar 2026.

Having previously supported the World Athletics U20 Refugee Team, Eliud Kipchoge will share his extensive knowledge and discipline to guide the young hopefuls.

The 12 young athletes have been selected for the Refugee Athlete Support program, setting their sights on joining the IOC Refugee Olympic Team for the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Dakar 2026.

Six boys and six girls earned their spots following selection trials held at the Mandela National Stadium in Kampala.

One male and one female athlete were chosen for each of the six track and field disciplines on the Dakar 2026 program: the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, and 3000m.

All 12 athletes will now receive a development grant from Olympic Solidarity and will be mentored by the two-time Olympic marathon champion.

The athletes were identified and registered for the trials through the Game Connect program, which is funded by the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF).

Uganda is currently host to nearly two million asylum seekers and refugees, primarily from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan.

The final competition in the Ugandan capital was the culmination of a nationwide search. Preliminary trials took place in four refugee settlements across the country, Adjumani, Kyangwali, Rwamwanja, and Kampala, involving over 600 young participants.

The ORF-funded Game Connect program was instrumental in registering these athletes, marking the first time the foundation has directly linked its community-level work to elite pathways through its Refugee Athlete Support program.

These selection trials were a collaborative effort between the ORF, World Athletics, the Uganda Olympic Committee, Uganda Athletics, and the Game Connect consortium. The event follows similar trials held in Kenya earlier this year.

The ORF is actively preparing for the Dakar 2026 YOG, which will feature a Refugee Olympic Team for the first time.

As these are the first Youth Olympic Games to be held on the African continent, the foundation is committed to ensuring the team reflects the continent's displaced populations.

Africa is home to over 45 million forcibly displaced people, making it a priority region for the ORF and its mission to support displaced individuals through sport.

The development grants will provide these young refugees with crucial training and support in sports, including athletics, judo, baseball5, and taekwondo.

The Dakar 2026 YOG presents a unique opportunity not only to showcase the talent of young refugee athletes but also to highlight Africa's central role in addressing global displacement and the IOC's commitment to solidarity and inclusion.