The National Olympic Committee of Kenya,NOCK will support refugee athletes in the country to ensure they register good results in three upcoming major events which include the World Athletics Championship, the Youth Olympics in Dakar, Senegal, and the Los Angeles Olympic Games.
NOCK President Paul Tergat affirmed this today when he attended the refugee team trials for Track and Field ,Taekwondo and Judo at the Lornah Kiplagat High Altitude Training Centre in Iten.
The final team will be named later by the selection panel based on today’s results.
The International Olympic Committee project manager in charge of the athletes unit Gonzalo Bario reaffirmed the IOC’s commitment to support the refugee athletes through scholarships and specialised training ahead of the international championships.
..Former 800m world champion Janeth Jepkosgei, who coaches the athletics team, said they will select a strong team for this year’s Tokyo World Championships in September, next year’s Youth Olympics in Dakar and the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, USA.
Among the athletes who expect to make the final refugee team include Perina Nakan who competed in the Budapest World championhips in 2023 as well as last year’s Olympics.
The Olympic refugee ream made history in the 2024 Paris Olympics when Cindy Ngamba became the first ever athlete to win a meal, a bronze in the boxing competition.
