DAKAR, Senegal / AfricaWire.IO / – Africa will host an Olympic sporting event for the first time when the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games open in Senegal on Saturday, October 31. The Games will run until November 13 and are expected to bring together 2,655 young athletes aged 14 to 17. Approximately 2,700 athlete quota places have been allocated, according to the International Olympic Committee. Competition will take place in Dakar, Diamniadio and the coastal resort of Saly. Dakar 2026 is the fourth edition of the Summer Youth Olympic Games.
Senegal’s flag flies over a stadium. (AI-generated image)
The Games will also mark the first appearance of a Refugee Olympic Team at the Youth Olympic Games. Six Africa-based athletes will represent millions of displaced people across the continent. Dakar 2026 is the first Youth Olympic Games to reach full gender equality across quota places, sports, disciplines and events. Female and male athletes will each hold 50% of the quota places.
The IOC has allocated $19.5 million to Olympic Solidarity’s Youth Development programmes for 2025 to 2028. The organisation said investment was expanded ahead of Dakar 2026, with a particular focus on African National Olympic Committees. The Youth Olympic Village is located at Amadou Mahtar Mbow University in Diamniadio. The village is connected to the Regional Express Train network serving the capital, which sits on the Atlantic coast at the western tip of Africa.
300,000 solidarity tickets
More than 960,000 tickets are available for competitions, ceremonies and Fan Zones. Among them are 300,000 solidarity tickets reserved for children and young people, students, associations and sports clubs. The opening ceremony will take place at the Olympic Stadium in Diamniadio. Sailing and other coastal events will be held at Saly, about 80 kilometres from Dakar.
An estimated 507 hours of broadcast coverage will carry the Games to audiences worldwide. Nineteen media rights-holders and more than 70 sublicensees are contributing to international distribution. Dakar 2026 is expected to offer 25% more live coverage than Buenos Aires 2018 for the sports featured at both editions. Singapore, Nanjing and Buenos Aires staged the earlier editions, and the Argentine capital hosted the previous Summer Youth Olympic Games.
Senegal’s year in the spotlight
Dakar was awarded the Youth Olympic Games in 2018, initially for 2022, before the event was moved to 2026. Senegal has also been in the international sporting spotlight this year at the FIFA World Cup. Its national team lost 3-1 to France in its opening match in June. The team later fell 3-2 to Norway in the group stage.
The Youth Olympic Games bring together athletes aged 14 to 17 across a broad programme of sports. In Dakar, quota places have been split evenly between female and male competitors for the first time. The six members of the Refugee Olympic Team will compete alongside national delegations from around the world. The Games close on November 13.