Sporting eyes are once again on the athletics track as the World Athletics Championships unfolds in and around the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Though stars such as Usain Bolt, and the controversy surrounding former drugs cheats may be dominating headlines, a team of refugees is competing for the first time in the competition’s 34-year history.

The Athlete Refugee Team: a small group of athletes with no nation of their own to represent, was first introduced at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and five members are now competing in London.

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The South Sudanese, Somalian, Congolese and Ethiopian-born athletes fled civil wars and the dangers of being either killed or forced into becoming child soldiers. They left their countries to start new lives. But going from the Kenyan refugee camp where they were all scouted for the team, to competing in major athletics tournaments is a transformation that few would have anticipated.

Scouted by Kenyan charity the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation (TLPF) – founded by former Kenyan long distance track and road runner Tegla Loroupe – the athletes have been given training and accommodation in Kenya, as well as educational opportunities.

I have to polish my talent and show people in the world that a refugee can make it

Now, a film and an exhibition of photographs taken in the team’s Kenyan base, have been created to tell the athletes’ stories. The project is called #WeAreAllOne.

Meet the refugees competing in this year’s World Championships

James Nyang Chiengjiek
400 metres

James was scouted at a refugee camp by former Kenyan running star Tegla Loroupe. It was her vision that led to the first ever Refugee Team entering the Maracanã Stadium in Rio in 2016. James was part of that team, too.

Gai Nyang Tap
800 metres

Gai, 25, is originally from South Sudan and one of 31 refugee athletes based at the Tegla Loroupe Refugee Athletes Training Center in the Ngong Hills, Kenya. They come from five nations and several ethnic groups. They are, however, all athletes. “Whether African, refugees or whatever, we are all one,” he says.

Rose Nathike Lokonyen
800 metres

Like all the refugee athletes, Rose has experienced the horror of war first-hand. Her journey to compete in London began when she ran away from her village aged just seven, leaving behind her mother and father. Now she is determined not to be another casualty of war. She focuses on the opportunities in front of her. She wants to become a champion.

Kadar Omar Abdullah
5,000 metres

Kadar is 21 and from Ethiopia. At the trials for London in June, he moved from his usual event, the 1500m, and entered the 5000m. He won the qualifier and smashed his own personal best. His coaches believe that when he moves from the dirt track in Ngong Hills, Kenya, to sea level in London, he could make yet another great leap forward against the clock. His race takes place on Saturday.

Anjelina Nadai Lohalith
1,500 metres

Less than a year after running in a trial at Kakuma refugee camp in north-west Kenya, Anjelina entered the Maracanã Stadium in Rio to represent the 65 million stateless people worldwide. “Now this is my time. I have to polish my talent and show people in the world that a refugee can make it,” she says.

Off the track

Living arrangements

Athletes live in close quarters: four to a room in double bunks. With many different cultures and religions represented, they must be very respectful of each other’s customs. Inside the camp, men and women are considered equal: there are no specific gender roles around household chores.

Winding down

Coaches have introduced regular massage and physical therapy for the athletes. There is often a line of sore limbs waiting for renewal on the table. But these aren’t the sorts of massages you get in spas. Bones crack, teeth clench and the odd tear pops as knots are worked out.

Day-to-day life

When athletes are not training, they undertake chores in the accommodation that is provided for them. They do all their own washing, ironing and cleaning, and take turns helping prepare food. They also take daily naps to recover from the rigours of intense high-altitude training.

Down time

A ride into town for a little shopping and fun down the bumpy roads of Ngong. This is Lydia Philip Mamuon. At just 16, she is one half of an inseparable pair, along with 17-year-old Sunday Kamisa Peter. They are by far the youngest athletes staying at the training camp and seem to gain a lot of strength by sticking close to one another.

#WeAreAllOne launched on 8 August at the Eight Club in Moorgate, London alongside a charity photography auction featuring images by sports photographers including Marcus Smith, Alexis Berg, Daniel Meuli and Thomas Stöckli. The main exhibition runs until 11 August and is hosted by Swiss sports company On, which sponsors the Athlete Refugee Team.

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Maasai tribesmen in Kenya pose with Sudan, the only male of the last three northern white rhino left on the planet. Sudan is 43 years old – an ‘old man’ in a species that has a lifespan of approximately 40 years.

Pictured on 18 June, the men had just taken part in a charity cricket match, part of a two-day tournament called Last Male Standing.

The tournament was a bid to raise awareness of the plight of this rhino sub-species, and to generate funds to research ways to save it from extinction. Matches took place in the wilds of Laikipia county’s Ol-Pejeta Conservancy: a wildlife conservancy at the foot of Mount Kenya.

Image: Tony Karumba/AFP/Getty Images

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7.00am: Breakfast

I wake up early and do chores before sitting down for breakfast of ugali [a stiff porridge made from maize] and milky tea with my housemates. We are all artists. Joan makes art and clothes with recycled materials and Mbogo is a musician. Joan and I are planning a collaboration: a huge canvas that incorporates my portrait style as well as recycled materials such as plastic bags, tin cans and bottles.

10.00am: Commute

We live in the town of Ngong in a house surrounded by trees. I’m inspired by nature so it’s important to live somewhere peaceful and green. It’s a long commute to Nairobi, but worth the effort. When I started staying out late to do graffiti it created tension between my parents and me so I moved out. A few of my uncles are proud of me; I hope the rest of my family will come to terms with what I love doing.

11.00pm: The studio

The Dust Depo is a studio for visual artists in the Nairobi Railway Museum where I come almost every day. I might do graffiti, illustration or painting – it depends on my inspiration and materials. Artists can work, organise exhibitions and sell their designs here. I feel truly at home.

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12.00pm: Graffiti

The museum has given us a section of wall to do graffiti on. We painted a large mural for them in exchange. Since starting in 2013, I’ve been lucky enough to be mentored by some of Kenya’s best graffiti artists: Swift, Bankslave and Uhuru. I like to include Adinkra [west African] symbols in my work. They’re traditional, but are still used to this day.

I hope the rest of my family will come to terms with what I love doing

2.00pm: The next generation

I don’t consider my work political but I do like to do graffiti in areas that may be considered poor or violent. I try to include anti-violence messages in my graffiti and make people feel valued. I’ve started taking some girls with me on projects so they can learn how to make an income from street art. Today, with the help of my mentee Dina, I’m priming a wall and spraying a simple sketch on to it. We’ll finish the piece tomorrow.

4.00pm: Animation

I started taking animation classes last year. I was inspired by Sofles, a graffiti artist who brought his art to life by digitising it. I’m currently working on an animation called Sivana, inspired by one of my paintings. Sivana is a girl from a dream I had who taught me about wisdom and forgiveness and reminded me to love nature.

I try to include anti-violence messages in my graffiti and make people feel valued

6.00pm: Painting

I usually depict African women, showing their faces from the side. I love painting hair – especially afros and dreadlocks. To me, hair is like a crown that is bestowed on everyone. We should all have the freedom to do what we want with it. My painting, with its flowing lines and patterns inspired by nature, is similar to art nouveau but with very African characters. One of my favourite artists is Georgia O’Keeffe. I love the way she uses colour and form.

8.00pm: Return home

Joan and I often work until late and we always go home together. I love working with communities because it gives me the opportunity to make an impact and communicate a positive message through art. Being a woman really helps in this sense. Other women from the community feel as if they can open up to me and talk to me about their issues.

Images: Rachel Clara Reed

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