Dakar Makes Olympic History as Senegal Hosts First-Ever Games on African Soil

Senegal is set to make history on Saturday as Dakar opens the 2026 Youth Olympic Games, becoming the first city in Africa to host an Olympic event.

The historic competition will bring together about 2,665 athletes aged 14 to 17 from across the world, with the Senegalese capital decorated with signs carrying the message, “Africa welcomes, Dakar celebrates”.

The Games will feature 25 sports and 153 medal events, including the return of Russian athletes to Olympic competition and the participation of a refugee team.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry, a former Zimbabwean swimmer, said the event would give international visitors an opportunity to experience Africa differently.

“We’ve got people from around the world that maybe had a very different idea about Africa and they’re going to leave, hopefully, with something really positive in mind”, she said during a press conference in Dakar on Thursday.

“I think that is really important for our continent”, she added.

Competitions will cover a wide range of disciplines, including athletics, beach wrestling, rugby sevens and breaking. Eight venues across Dakar, the nearby suburb of Diamniadio and the coastal town of Saly, approximately 80 kilometres (50 miles) away, will host the events.

136 Senegalese Athletes to Compete

An opening ceremony scheduled for Saturday evening in Diamniadio will officially launch the Games.

Senegal will have 136 athletes representing the country, supported by around 6,000 volunteers helping to deliver the competition.

The West African nation is known for its passion for sports, particularly football, traditional wrestling and surfing.

Young people and football supporters frequently gather for informal matches on beaches and village squares during evenings and weekends. Along Dakar’s famous Corniche coastal road, hundreds of residents also turn out daily to run, exercise and participate in group fitness activities as the weather cools.

However, despite the historic significance of the Games, excitement has not spread widely across the country. For many Senegalese, the immediate concerns remain the high cost of living, unemployment and economic hardship.

Senegal Prime Minister Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo, speaking to AFP this week, said the event would place Dakar at the centre of youth activities across Africa.

“Once the youth Olympic Games in Senegal begin, Dakar will become the capital of African youth,” he said.

“Africa hosting the (Youth) Olympic Games, it’s a symbol”, he added.

Russian Competitors Set for Olympic Return

Another major feature of the Dakar Youth Olympics will be the participation of Russian athletes under their national flag and colours.

Following the International Olympic Committee’s effective lifting of the Russian Olympic Committee’s (ROC) suspension in July, the competition will be the first Olympic event since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 to allow Russian athletes to compete under their own flag and colours.

The ROC says 13 Russian athletes will participate, with 10 coaches accompanying the delegation to Senegal.

“The kids are excited, it’s good news that our legitimate right to participate with the national anthem and Russian flag has been restored”, Anzor Gaunov, coach of judoka Anastasia Dobrovolskaya, told AFP earlier this month in Moscow.

Participation, however, will depend on approval from the international federation responsible for each sport.

A refugee Olympic team, consisting mainly of athletes based in Africa, will also compete at the Games.

The IOC has described the Dakar event as an important landmark for Africa, offering Senegal an opportunity to display its cultural richness and the continent a chance to demonstrate its growing place in the Olympic movement.

South Africa is also seeking to take Africa’s Olympic ambitions further, with the country officially in the running to host the 2036 Summer Olympics. It could become the first African nation to stage the Olympic Games, having previously hosted the men’s FIFA World Cup in 2010.

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