Youth Olympic Games: refugee athletes proud after overcoming adversity to compete for glory
Nov 15, 2026
Lourence Numukiza, a 16-year-old athlete from Democratic Republic of 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 came in with two goals. Firstly, “I want to get a medal”, she said.
That did not quite materialise but the other aim is still in focus as she looks...
