Olympic refugee athletes target glory -- and a better life for families

Agence France-Presse · AFP · 2026-11-06 16:37 UTC

Lourence Numukiza, a 16-year-old athlete from DR Congo, has gone from being a war refugee to earning a prized berth at the...

Lourence Numukiza, a 16-year-old athlete from DR Congo, has gone from being a war refugee to earning a prized berth at the Youth Olympic Games in Senegal.

After a tough childhood spent in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, the teenager said her path to Dakar was simple: "I trained hard, I competed hard and I was able to win."

She has set herself two goals. Firstly, "I want to get a medal," she said. But also she wants to offer her family a better life as she limbers up to join a team comprising fellow young refugees for the first time at a Youth Games.

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