James Nyang Chiengjiek was 13 when he fled his home in South Sudan to avoid being kidnapped by rebels who were forcibly recruiting child soldiers. Fifteen years later, Chiengjiek is set to compete in the 400m at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games as part of the first Olympic refugee team.

“My dream is to get good results at the Olympics and also to help people. Because I have been supported by someone, I also want to support someone,” says Chiengjiek, who will be one of 10 refugees who march under the Olympic flag at the opening ceremony on 5 August.

When he was 11, Chiengjiek lost his father, who was a soldier in the civil war. He continued living at home in Bentiu, where he looked after cattle. But two years later, as the war and risk of kidnapp intensified, Chiengjiek had to leave. “Even if you are 10 years old they can recruit you to join them. I saw that I wasn’t well enough to join the army, so I ran away.”

(Photo: IOC)

After travelling thousands of miles, like the many South Sudanese children who came to be known as the ‘Lost Boys of Sudan’, Chiengjiek arrived in Kenya in 2002. There he settled in Kakuma Camp, where he was supported by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The highland region where Chiengjiek’s camp was located is known for its long-distance runners. At school he started training with the older students and his talent was soon noticed. “That’s when I realised I could make it as a runner – and if God gives you a talent, you have to use it.”

Chiengjiek did not allow his talent to go to waste, despite having to train without the proper footwear. “We all got injuries because of the wrong shoes we had. Then we shared. If maybe you have two pairs of shoes, then you help the one that has none.”

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In 2013 the UNHCR told him about the selection process to join the Tegla Loroupe Foundation, run by Olympian and former world champion Kenyan marathon runner Tegla Loroupe. After performing well at the trials, Chiengjiek was accepted into the foundation and today he trains there with four other South Sudanese runners, also part of the refugee team.

The Refugee Olympic Team (ROT) was announced earlier this month in response to the current refugee crisis. With more than 59 million people displaced around the world, the present crisis is the most severe since records began.

At the unveiling of the team, IOC President Thomas Bach said: “These refugees have no home, no team, no flag, no national anthem. We will offer them a home in the Olympic Village together with all the athletes of the word. The Olympic anthem will be played in their honour and the Olympic flag will lead them into the Olympic Stadium. This will be a symbol of hope for all the refugees in our world, and will make the world better aware of the magnitude of this crisis.”

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 Along with Chiengjiek and his four compatriots, the 10-strong Olympic refugee team will include two swimmers from Syria, two judokas from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and one marathon runner from Ethiopia.

Chiengjiek now trains in Nairobi with his compatriots in the Olympic refugee team (Photo: IOC)

Chiengjiek says he wants to use his platform as an Olympic athlete to inspire others. “If some of us get the chance to go to Rio then you have to look back to see where your brothers and sisters are. Given the chance, you have to utilise it in the right way.”

Rio2016.com is profiling each of the 10 athletes in the Olympic refugee team. Also see:

Syrian swimmer Rami Anis’s journey from Aleppo to the Rio 2016 Games

Yiech Pur Biel, the ‘Lost Boy’ who found a sense of belonging in athletics

Prolific marathon runner Yonas Kinde finally able to compete at Olympic Games