Senegal has opened the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, the first Olympic event to be staged on African soil. The opening ceremony took place on Saturday at the Diamniadio Olympic Stadium, near the capital Dakar, with thousands of spectators watching hundreds of drummers and dancers celebrate Senegalese and African culture under the Games' motto, “Africa welcomes, Dakar celebrates.”

Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye officially declared the Games open. International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry, a former Zimbabwean swimming gold medallist who became the first woman and the first African to lead the IOC last year, also attended the ceremony.

Who is competing, and where

About 2,700 athletes aged between 14 and 17 are expected to compete for medals in 153 medal events across 25 sports. Competition takes place across three locations: Dakar, the nearby city of Diamniadio and the coastal town of Saly. Senegal will be represented by 136 athletes, and about 6,000 local volunteers are expected to support the organisation of the Games.

Firsts at Dakar 2026

The Games will feature the first refugee team at a Youth Olympic event, with six athletes based in Kenya and Uganda competing in athletics, judo and taekwondo. They will also be the first Youth Olympic Games to reach full gender equality across athlete quotas, sports, disciplines and events. Dakar was initially scheduled to host the event in 2022, but the coronavirus pandemic forced its postponement to 2026, and the Games run until 13 November. Source: BusinessDay, 1 November 2026.