Track and field's governing body pledged to maintain its support for refugee athletes, at the Youth Olympic Games, World Athletics Championships and beyond during the Global Refugee Forum Progress Review in Geneva last month.
The position of World Athletics as a member of the Sport for Refugees Coalition was recognised during the three-day meeting at the Geneva International Conference Centre, held from 15-17 December, as more than 30 new pledges were made. Forced displacement now exceeds 120 million people globally, and sport remains a powerful tool for protection, wellbeing and social inclusion.
World Athletics joined the coalition in 2023, and since the Global Refugee Forum that took place that year, coalition members have collectively supported more than 529,000 people through sport and play-based activities, over 11,000 trained coaches delivering safe and inclusive sessions, and more than 160 sport spaces that have been created or refurbished.
The latest two-year pledge by World Athletics centres around the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar in 2026 and the World Championships in Beijing in 2027. World Athletics was represented in Geneva by World Athletics Vice President and Athletics Kenya President Jackson Tuwei, following Athletics Kenya's support of World Athletics' refugee programme since 2016.
Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn
Related Articles- Matches postponed in Israel over security situationOctober 10, 2023
- Fulham dare Chelsea in crunch derbyJanuary 12, 2023
He also explained how World Athletics' support goes beyond providing competition opportunities. "World Athletics will sponsor more training camps for selected refugee athletes, increase the number of certified refugee coaches, provide media training, and continue to offer value-in-kind provisions to the refugee teams," he added. "Through the implementation of the World Athletics Safeguarding Policy and in collaboration with the Athletics Integrity Unit, we will be vigilant and proactive in the protection and well-being of refugee athletes within our programme."
Since its creation in 2016, the World Athletics Athlete Refugee Team has evolved into the world's only year-round full-time refugee team programme. The team made its first competitive appearance as part of the Refugee Olympic Team at the 2016 Olympic Games and has competed at most World Athletics Series events since. The U20 team was formed as a pilot in 2022.
FROM TIMES REPORTER, TEMA
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Follow Ghanaian Times WhatsApp Channel today. https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAjG7g3gvWajUAEX12Q
🌍 Trusted News. Real Stories. Anytime, Anywhere.
✅ Join our WhatsApp Channel now! https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAjG7g3gvWajUAEX12Q
