The Athlete Refugee Team (ART) is a delegation under which refugee athletes can compete collectively at IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations, now known as World Athletics) competitions. The official IAAF logo was used as the team's flag until 2019. World Athletics collaborated with Kenyan long-distance runner Tegla Loroupe to form the team in 2014 as a short-term response to the growing refugee crisis that left millions of people dislocated or stateless. However, it has since turned into a sort of permanent feature at World Athletics events due to the refugee crisis only worsening. Many of the athletes (who fled war or violence in their home countries) originate from a variety of nations such as: Sudan, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, and Ethiopia.[1] They include a majority of runners, as well as professional swimmers, material artists, etc.
World Athletics helps by providing support to Loroupe as she works with the refugees in Ngong, Kenya on behalf of her foundation (the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation). Loroupe finds young, aspiring recruits at local running events and carefully selects them to be on the Athlete Refugee Team. The fastest ones are invited to the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation's training camp where they receive coaching from Loroupe and further develop their skills so that they may be prepared for the highest and most prestigious levels of competition like the Olympic Games.[1]
The Athlete Refugee Team's first appearance was at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ever since their introduction, they have competed at every World Athletics Series including: the 2017 World Championships in Athletics,[2] 2017 IAAF World Relays,[3] 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships,[4] and 2019 World Athletics Championships, among other events.[5] One athlete (Puok Thiep Gatkuoth in men's marathon) was announced to compete at the 2018 European Athletics Championships,[6] but did not start.[7]
Over time, as the Athlete Refugee Team has grown, so has the funding for the programme behind it. World Athletics decided to expand the reach of the Athlete Refugee Team to several other locations throughout the globe, with athletes based not just in Kenya but: Germany, Israel, France, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Additionally, the organisation commits to financially sustaining and investing in the programme by continually seeking out coaches and competitive opportunities for the athletes.[1]
Competition history
Olympic Games
- Athletes were represented under the label of Refugee Olympic Team (ROT) during the 2016 Summer Olympics, which later changed to the French version of Équipe olympique des réfugiés (EOR) during the 2020 Summer Olympics. They compete under the Olympic flag at the Games.
| Competition | Host city | Athlete | Event | Finished | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | ||||
| 2016 Summer Olympics | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | James Chiengjiek | Men's 400 m | 52.89 | 8th (h) |
| Yiech Biel | Men's 800 m | 1:54.67 | 8th (h) | ||
| Paulo Amotun Lokoro | Men's 1500 m | 4:03.96 | 11th (h) | ||
| Yonas Kinde | Men's marathon | 2:24:08 | 90th | ||
| Rose Lokonyen | Women's 800 m | 2:16.64 | 7th (h) | ||
| Anjelina Lohalith | Women's 1500 m | 4:47.38 | 14th (h) | ||
| 2020 Summer Olympics | Tokyo, Japan | Dorian Keletela | Men's 100 m | 10.41 | 8th (h) |
| James Chiengjiek | Men's 800 m | 2:02.04 | 8th (h) | ||
| Paulo Amotun Lokoro | Men's 1500 m | 3:51.78 | 13th (h) | ||
| Jamal Abdelmaji Eisa Mohammed | Men's 5000 m | 13:42.98 | 13th (h) | ||
| Rose Lokonyen | Women's 800 m | 2:11.87 | 8th (h) | ||
| Anjelina Lohalith | Women's 1500 m | 4:31.65 | 14th (h) | ||
| Tachlowini Gabriyesos | Men's Marathon | 2:14:02 | 16th | ||
World Championships
World Indoor Championships
| Competition | Host City | Athlete | Event | Finished | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | ||||
| 2022 World Indoor Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | Anjelina Lohalith | Women's 1500 m | 4:34.72 | 6 (h) |
World Relay Championships
| Competition | Venue | Athlete | Event | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | ||||
| 2017 World Relays | Nassau, Bahamas | Gai Nyang Paulo Amotun Lokoro Wiyual Puok Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu |
Men's 4 × 800 m relay | 8:12.57 | 7 |
| 2019 World Relays | Yokohama, Japan | Rose Lokonyen James Chiengjiek |
Mixed 2 × 2 × 400 m relay | 4:08.80 | 7 |
World Road Racing Championships
| Competition | Venue | Athlete | Event | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | ||||
| 2018 Half Marathon Championships | Valencia, Spain | Paulo Amotun Lokoro | Men's half marathon | 1:09:31 | 124 |
| Ukuk Utho'o Bul | 1:08:15 | 120 | |||
| 2020 Half Marathon Championships | Gdynia, Poland | Fouad Idbafdil | Men's half marathon | 1:06:35 | 108 |
| Otmane Nait Hammou | 1:03:28 | 67 | |||
World Cross Country Championships
| Competition | Venue | Athlete | Event | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | ||||
| 2019 Cross Country Championships | Aarhus, Denmark | Jamal Abdelmaji Eisa Mohammed | Men's 10 km cross | 35:09 | 85 |
| Otmane Nait Hammou | 38:23 | 124 | |||
| 2023 Cross Country Championships | Bathurst, Australia | Seyd Taha Ghafari Josephine Tain Augustino Fouad Idbafdil Anjelina Nadai Lohalith |
4 x 2 km mixed relay cross | 27:15 | 13 |
| 2024 Cross Country Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | Farida Abaroge | Women's 10 km XC | 36:33 | 62 |
| Esterina Irino Julius | 41:13 | 74 | |||
| Anjelina Nadai Lohalith | 33:26 | 23 | |||
| Perina Lokure Nakang | 41:18 | 75 | |||
Continental Championships
| Competition | Venue | Athlete | Event | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | ||||
| 2018 African Championships | Asaba, Nigeria | James Chiengjiek | Men's 800 m | 1:58.69 | 11 (h) |
| Joseph Elia Ernesto | 1:55.20 | 12 (h) | |||
| Yiech Pur Biel | 1:53.20 | 10 (h) | |||
| Paulo Amotun Lokoro | Men's 1500 m | 4:03.44 | 15 (f) | ||
| Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu | Men's 5000 m | 14:07.22 | 11 | ||
| Ukuk Otho'o Bul | 15:01.50 | 20 | |||
| Chajen Dang Yien | Women's javelin throw | ??.?? | 9 | ||
| 2022 African Championships | Saint Pierre, Mauritius | Dominic Lokolong Atiol | Men's 1500 m | 4:06.21 | 11 (h) |
| Emmanuel Kiruhura | Men's 5000 m | 14:27.80 | 12 | ||
| Rose Ihisa Uwaro | Women's 400 m | 1:06.63 | 21 (h) | ||
| Anjelina Lohalith | Women's 800 m | 2:19.29 | 16 (h) | ||
| Women's 1500 m | 4:33.74 | 10 | |||
| 2022 European Championships | Munich, Germany | Jamal Abdelmaji Eisa Mohammed | Men's 10.000 m | DNF | |
| Tachlowini Gabriyesos | Men's marathon | DNF | |||
Continental Indoor Championships
| Competition | Host city | Athlete | Event | Placement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | ||||
| 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games | Ashgabat, Turkmenistan | Wiyual Puok Deng | Men's 400 m | 50.96 | 4 (h) |
| Yiech Biel | Men's 800 m | 1:56.53 | 5 (sf) | ||
| Gai Nyang Tap | 1:58.70 | 5 (h) | |||
| Paulo Amotun Lokoro | Men's 1500 m | 3:59.45 | 4q (h) [8] | ||
| Ukuk Utho'o Bul | Men's 3000 m | 8:33.02 | 7 (f) | ||
| 2021 European Indoor Championships | Toruń, Poland | Dorian Keletela | Men's 60 m | 6.91 | 8 (h) |
Age group events
| Competition | Host city | Athlete | Event | Placement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | ||||
| 2017 World U18 Championships | Nairobi, Kenya | Mohammed Ahmed Abubakar | Men's 1500 m | 4:23.38 | 12 (h) |
| Lydia Philip Mamun | Women's 400 m | 1:07.55 | 5 (h) | ||
| Sunday Kamisa Peter | Women's 800 m | 2:32.76 | 4 (h) | ||
| 2018 World U20 Championships | Tampere, Finland | Dominic Lokolong Atiol | Men's 1500 m | 3:59.63 | 12 (h) |
| Lydia Philip Mamun | Women's 800 m | DQ (h) | |||
| 2019 European Youth Olympic Festival | Baku, Azerbaijan | Nazret Kobodom | Girl's 3000 m | 10:45.11 | 10 |
| 2021 World U20 Championships | Nairobi, Kenya | Joseph Loboi Morris | Men's 3000 m | DQ | |
| Emmaculate Napeyok | Women's 200 m | 29.50 | 30 (h) | ||
| Alice Ilam Samuel | Women's 800 m | 2:43.76 | 25 (h) | ||
| 2022 European Youth Olympic Festival | Banská Bystrica, Slovakia | Molham Hawana | Boys' javelin | 56.87m | 7 |
| 2023 European Youth Olympic Festival | Maribor, Slovenia | S. Baba Swaray | Boys' 800 | 01:56.32 | 5 (h) |
Other events
| Competition | Host city | Athlete | Event | Placement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | ||||
| 2021 European 10,000 m Cup | Birmingham, Great Britain | Jamal Abdelmaji Eisa Mohammed | Men's 10.000 m | 28:52.64 | 25 |
| Tachlowini Gabriyesos | 30:29.91 | 48 | |||
| Fouad Idbafdil | DNF | ||||
| 2021 European Cross Country Championships | Dublin, Ireland | Jamal Abdelmaji Eisa Mohammed | Men's 10 km cross | 31:38 | 31 |
| Jamal Ismail Gabir Arabi | 34:11 | 73 | |||
| Tachlowini Gabriyesos | 32:19 | 49 | |||
| Fouad Idbafdil | 33:11 | 61 | |||
| Otmane Nait Hammou | 33:28 | 65 | |||
| 2022 European 10,000 m Cup | Pacé, France | Jamal Abdelmaji Eisa Mohammed | Men's 10.000 m | 29:19.90 | 34 |
| Seyd Taha Ghafari | 31:25.52 | 55 | |||
| Tachlowini Gabriyesos | 30:36.01 | 52 | |||
| 2022 European Cross Country Championships | Turin, Italy | Jamal Abdelmaji Eisa Mohammed | Men's 10 km cross | 31:12 | 38 |
| Tesfay Felfele | 32:58 | 68 | |||
| Tachlowini Gabriyesos | 31:38 | 51 | |||
| Seyd Taha Ghafari | 31:34 | 49 | |||
| Fouad Idbafdil | 32:19 | 61 | |||
| 2023 European Cross Country Championships | Brussels, Belgium | Habtom Amaniel | Men's 10 km cross | 33:51 | 71 |
| Jamal Abdelmaji Eisa Mohammed | 30:43 | 9 | |||
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Athlete Refugee Team | Athletics for a Better World | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2023-08-31.
- ^ "IAAF: Athlete Refugee Team - Countries - IAAF World Championships London 2017 - iaaf.org". iaaf.org.
- ^ "IAAF: 4x800 Metres Relay Startlist - IAAF/BTC World Relays Bahamas 2017 - iaaf.org". iaaf.org.
- ^ "IAAF: Athlete Refugee Team - Countries - IAAF World U20 Championships Tampere 2018 - iaaf.org". iaaf.org.
- ^ "IAAF: Athlete Refugee Team - Countries - IAAF World Championships Doha 2019 - iaaf.org". iaaf.org.
- ^ Final Entries - Athletes List by event. European Athletics Championships 2018, Berlin/GER
- ^ "Marathon Men Final Results - European Athletics Championships 2018, Berlin/GER" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-09-11. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
- ^ DNS in final