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The Athlete Refugee Team (ART) is a delegation under which refugee athletes can compete collectively at IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations, now known as World Athletics) competitions. The official IAAF logo was used as the team's flag until 2019. World Athletics collaborated with Kenyan long-distance runner Tegla Loroupe to form the team in 2014 as a short-term response to the growing refugee crisis that left millions of people dislocated or stateless. However, it has since turned into a sort of permanent feature at World Athletics events due to the refugee crisis only worsening. Many of the athletes (who fled war or violence in their home countries) originate from a variety of nations such as: Sudan, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, and Ethiopia.[1] They include a majority of runners, as well as professional swimmers, material artists, etc.
World Athletics helps by providing support to Loroupe as she works with the refugees in Ngong, Kenya on behalf of her foundation (the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation). Loroupe finds young, aspiring recruits at local running events and carefully selects them to be on the Athlete Refugee Team. The fastest ones are invited to the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation's training camp where they receive coaching from Loroupe and further develop their skills so that they may be prepared for the highest and most prestigious levels of competition like the Olympic Games.[1]
The Athlete Refugee Team's first appearance was at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ever since their introduction, they have competed at every World Athletics Series including: the 2017 World Championships in Athletics,[2] 2017 IAAF World Relays,[3] 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships,[4] and 2019 World Athletics Championships, among other events.[5] One athlete (Puok Thiep Gatkuoth in men's marathon) was announced to compete at the 2018 European Athletics Championships,[6] but did not start.[7]
Over time, as the Athlete Refugee Team has grown, so has the funding for the programme behind it. World Athletics decided to expand the reach of the Athlete Refugee Team to several other locations throughout the globe, with athletes based not just in Kenya but: Germany, Israel, France, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Additionally, the organisation commits to financially sustaining and investing in the programme by continually seeking out coaches and competitive opportunities for the athletes.[1]