Tegla Lorupe five-time World half marathon champion and two time Chicago Marathon winner will lead the World Refuge Team at the Tokyo Olympic Games, in Japan.
Lorupe was appointed the Refugees’ Team Chief De Mission by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the second year running.
She held the same position in the last Olympic in Rio, Brazil.
Another Kenyan Joseph Domongole has been appointed the team’s head coach.
The games will kick off on July 23.
Four Kenyan-based refugees are among the 29 World Refugee squad drawn from 13 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) that will take part in 12 sports disciplines: athletics, boxing, badminton, Canoe, cycling, Karate, shooting, wrestling and Judo.
The four Kenyan based athletes- Rose Nathike Lokonyen (800m), James Nyang Chiengjiek (880m), Angelina Nadai Lohalith (1500m) and Paulo Amotun Lokorio (1500m), have been training at the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation Training Centre in Ngong.
They will join among others Yusra Mardini (swimmer), Popole Misenga (judoka) and, runners- James Nyang Chiengjiek (800m), Angelina Nadail Lohalith (1500m), Paulo Amolin Lokoro (1500m) and Rose Nathike Likonyen (800m), all who were present in Rio in 2016.
The athletes, who will be competing under the Olympic flag were selected from the IOC’s Olympic Scholarships for Refugee Athletes’ Programme.
The programme considers individual athlete’s sporting performance; refugee status according to UNHCR guidelines; personal background and a balanced representation of sport and gender as well as a consideration of the region.
The Olympic Refugee Team is the first official squad to be named in the Tokyo Olympics.