Dakar prepares to host the 2026, Youth Olympics Africa’s first Olympic event

With just days to go, construction crews across Dakar are working around the clock preparing to welcome one of the biggest international events the city has ever hosted. The Senegalese capital will be hosting Africa’s first Olympic event when the Youth Olympics begin on October 31.

The Games will run until November 13 and will bring together about 2,700 young athletes to compete in 35 sports across Dakar and the nearby cities of Diamniadio and Saly. On the city’s corniche, skateboarders said they were excited to see the Games come to Africa.

“This is a first opportunity for Senegal and, by extension, for Africa, to discover new sports. It is the very first time that a major competition of this scale has come to Africa,” said student Thomas Dieme. Skateboarding will be making its debut at the Youth Olympics in Dakar this year. The sport has caught on with a small group of Senegalese youth, and skater Sete Awad said he hopes the Olympics will help them get more attention on the sport.

“Actually, skateboarding isn't very developed here, there aren't many pros. But it is something that is currently growing here in Senegal. So, I think the Olympic Games will really be a big help to us,” he said.

The Youth Olympics, first held in Singapore in 2010, are a smaller version of the Olympic Games for athletes aged 15 to 18. Dakar’s Youth Olympics mascot is Ayo, a young lion. As she posed for photos with the mascot, 30-year-old Dakar resident Rose Faye said though she had spent time in France, she never had the chance to see any Olympic Games.

“That is why this is such a great opportunity,” she said. “I never actually attended the Games while I was there. I had already left. Now, they are taking place in my home country, so I am very happy.” The opening ceremony will be on Saturday in Diamniadio, 40 kilometers from Dakar.