Youth Olympics: Palestinian and refugee athletes compete ‘with or without a country’ in Dakar

At the Youth Olympics in Dakar, a swimmer from East Timor, independent for 24 years, greets a competitor whose homeland has been occupied for 59 years: 16-year-old Alma Shaat, representing Palestine. She says she is honoured, as people in Palestine won’t get the chance to compete at such a level. She tells any little girl in Gaza and Palestine to keep following her dream, as she does it for her people. Six refugees unable to wear national kits compete under the colours of the refugee team in taekwondo, judo and athletics. Among them is 16-year-old sprinter Rachid, born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, who has spent most of his life in a displacement camp in Uganda. He wants to be remembered for his achievements on the track, and idolises Usain Bolt. Al Jazeera’s Nicolas Haque reports from Dakar. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X: https://x.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #AlJazeeraEnglish #Dakar2026 #YouthOlympics #Palestine #RefugeeTeam #Senegal #News