Former Olympian Yusra Mardini Urges Increased Access to Sports for Refugees Ahead of Paris 2024 Olympics

Kakuma Refugee Camp and the Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement are home to more than 288,000 refugees and asylum-seekers.

With one month to go until the opening of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, former refugee Olympian Yusra Mardini is appealing to governments, civil society, and the sporting world to increase access to sports for refugee adults and children.

Following a recent trip to Kakuma Refugee Camp in northern Kenya, Mardini, a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, highlighted the transformative power of sports. “I have seen for myself the hugely positive impact sport can have on the lives of people who had to flee war, conflict, or persecution, as they look for a sense of normality amid the huge disruption they have endured,” she said.

Kakuma Refugee Camp and the Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement are home to more than 288,000 refugees and asylum-seekers. These communities have long embraced sports as a means to heal, develop, and grow in a safe and supportive environment, finding solace amid the difficulty and uncertainty of exile. Mardini, who competed in the Olympic Games in Rio and Tokyo and whose story inspired the Netflix film “The Swimmers,” met with new arrivals from Sudan who fled the year-long devastating war in their country and witnessed the many challenges refugees face daily.

During her visit, she explored UNHCR sports initiatives, including the Kalobeyei Sports Complex and schools with basketball, football, and volleyball teams. “I am honoured to attend this year’s Olympics as a presenter for Eurosport, where I hope to help highlight the incredible stories of refugee athletes competing on the Refugee Olympic Team,” Mardini added.

“But although these athletes are at the top of their game, it's vital that all refugees have access to sports to help build fulfilling lives.”

Mardini also met with Myaruarch, a 19-year-old refugee who plays for the local football team in Kakuma, the KK Stars. "Every time I play, I forget about being a refugee and I am in a world of imagination where I feel like a winner," Myaruarch shared.

The camp has proudly seen five refugee athletes compete in both Rio and Tokyo. Mardini met Perina Lokure Nakang, who will be one of the youngest athletes on the 36-strong refugee team in Paris, racing in the 800m. Nakang, 21, fled South Sudan at the age of seven and has lived in Kakuma for 14 years.

“I am incredibly excited to compete in this year’s Olympics. Fleeing South Sudan, I had no idea what my future held. I hope my participation shows the world the true value refugees bring – we are just as capable as anyone else. Seeing Yusra’s achievements inspires me, reminding us all that there is hope for refugees everywhere,” Nakang said.

UNHCR and its partners continue to support sports initiatives worldwide, such as organized activities in camps, settlements, and urban areas, particularly for children and youth. These initiatives aim to empower refugee communities, strengthen life skills, foster integration, and are used effectively as part of child protection, education, and psychosocial well-being interventions.