Popole MISENGA

Popole is originally from Bukavu, the area most affected by the DRC civil war from 1998 to 2003. As a professional judoka, he represented the Democratic Republic of the Congo in international competitions. After years of difficult training conditions, he decided to seek asylum in Brazil during the World Judo Championships in Rio in 2013. He currently trains at the Instituto Reação in Rio de Janeiro.

He competed in the Olympic Games Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 as a member of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team.