The National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) has joined a consortium of bodies led by Governments, the private sector, civil society, and other key stakeholders in the timely Joint Pledge on Sport for Inclusion and Protection of Refugees, currently underway at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva.
Operating in one of the countries hosting many displaced persons over the years in Kakuma and Kalobeyei Camps and Settlements in northern Kenya, NOC-K is passionate to lend its human and strategic advantages in sport to advance the interest, dreams and wellbeing of displaced persons in the country and beyond.
Currently, NOC-K is preparing several refugee athletes under the Olympic Refugee Athlete Scholarship programme, which seeks to prepare and empower them for participation at the Paris 2024 Olympics under the IOC flag. The athletes who are receiving specialized training have become a source of inspiration for their communities and other displaced people across the globe.
To embed the ongoing and envisioned programs and initiatives around the refugee athletes and, in solidarity with other global bodies and Governments led by IOC President, Thomas Bach, NOC-K pledges support with a strong focus on the following thematic areas:
1.To create an enabling environment by supporting National Federations to extend their sports to refugees. Already, this communication was presented to NOC-K members and affiliates during the just concluded NOC-K Annual General Meeting. NOC-K expects to actualize this early in the coming year, 2024.
- We shall integrate refugees and host communities in our promotion of safe sports using our existing initiatives, especially by Olympic Refuge Foundation in Kenya and other NOC-K activities such as Olympic Values training through the resources that we have.
- Enhanced skills and pathways – NOC-K is already supporting elite athlete refugees in Kenya through Olympic Solidarity Scholarships, which is expected to continue. This is in addition to our support for a further five youth refugees through a college education to support their career pathways, also anticipated to be an annual program.
In collaboration with our national federations, we will remain robust in promoting the capacity development of coaches and sports administrators targeting both refugees and host community people with training courses.
NOC-K is exploring a further collaboration with Olympic Refuge Foundation in identifying and preparing youth athletes for Dakar Youth Olympics.
Last week, NOC-K organised a refugee under 20 talent identification event at Kipkeino Stadium in Eldoret where about 25 youth athletes participated in athletics events from 400 meters to 5,000 meters.
We will contribute to Evidence, Communications and advocacy by exploiting our NOCK Media to tell and elevate the stories of refugee athletes and their host communities to facilitate their integration, dignity and wellbeing.
NOC-K already is integrating other athletes at the training camps hosting our scholarship refugee athletes as part of creating an environment that eases their feelings and the effects of displacement.
We remain confident that the coming year will see our Olympic Movement step up engagement, inclusion, and promotion of refugees using the platform of sports to a higher level to breathe life into our Joint Pledge on Sport for Inclusion and Protection of Refugees.
Partnering with the national Government through its Shirika Plan that supports the socioeconomic inclusion of refugees and enabling them to access critical services should catalyze the realization of our Pledge and vision
