Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) President Christopher Samuda lauded the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to include a refugee team at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games as a groundbreaking move that transcends sport and reaffirms the Olympic movement’s commitment to humanity.
Samuda, who spoke passionately about the decision, highlighted its transformative potential for refugees and the world at large as he pointed out that the move is more than just a sporting milestone—it is a profound act of global empathy.
“The recent Executive Board’s decision of the IOC to allow an Olympic refugee team to compete at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games is not only historic but visionary,” Samuda told SportsMax.Tv.
“It has given the world of sport a perspective of humanity that victory is not won on the battlefield but on the field of sport, where principle integrates and values unite,” he declared.
The refugee team will consist of athletes based on the continent, with the exact composition and selection for Dakar 2026 set to be determined at a later date and will once again be decided by the IOC Executive Board.
The IOC says it’s hoping that the decision will bring worldwide attention to the reality of Africa hosting nearly 48 million people out of the 120 million displaced globally.
For Samuda, this evolution, which marks the continuation of an initiative that began with the introduction of the Refugee Olympic Team at the Rio 2016 Games, represents a beacon of hope for displaced individuals who have endured unimaginable adversity.
He also stressed the importance of creating opportunities for refugees through sport, framing it as a moral imperative.
“The Jamaica Olympic Association supports giving hope to the aspiration of refugees. We support sport in providing a space for the displaced who are not architects of wars and engineers of social and political discord,” he said.
“To disenfranchise them when they are blameless is just not right. They say the good must suffer for the bad, but I say it is insufferable for the good to be suffocated by the bad,” Samuda noted.
That said, Samuda views the inclusion of refugee athletes as a testament to sport’s power to transcend barriers, heal divisions, and inspire collective action. He urged the global sporting community to embrace this opportunity to effect change.
“Let sport rise to the occasion and right the wrong, and let the Olympic movement be in the vanguard for a more empathetic world citizenry. It is a clarion call for humanity to find common ground, not just on the fields of play but in the values we uphold as a global community,” he ended. (Sportsmax)
