Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
Kun Waar Liem, who fled the South Sudan conflict in 2011 as a child, and Solomon Okeny, who moved to Kenya's Kakuma Refugee Camp in 2010, are among five athletes selected to represent the Athlete Refugee Team (ART) at the African Championships in Accra, Ghana, from 12–17 May. Both athletes train in Nairobi under coach Duncan Ayiemba.
The ART is an initiative by World Athletics to support refugee athletes in international competition. Kun is a 200m sprinter, while Okeny transitioned from football to running after participating in informal races in Kakuma. Okeny supports his siblings' education and aims to resume his own studies.
While sprinters train in Nairobi, the team's middle- and long-distance athletes prepare in Kaptagat, about 300 kilometres northwest of Nairobi, under Janeth Jepkosgei, a former world 800m champion. Among them is Abdifatah Aden Hassan, a 1500m specialist who fled Ethiopia in 2009 and has been searching for his parents since. He was identified through the IOC Refugee Athlete Scholarship programme and Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation.
The athletes' stories reflect the challenges facing refugees, including family separation and limited resources. The ART aims to help these athletes pursue their sporting goals and compete alongside other African nations.