Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games: the gen on the Next Gen

From 31 October to 13 November 2026, Dakar will host the Youth Olympic Games (YOG), the first Olympic event to be staged on the African continent. Here is what you need to know about the Games. The YOG are a recent creation in the history of the Olympic movement, which began in 1896. In 2007, Jacques Rogge, then president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), proposed launching a competition for athletes aged 14 to 18. The former sailor was concerned about childhood obesity, declining participation in sport and the difficulty young people faced in finding solid role models in a world saturated with images and performances. The Summer Youth Olympic Games were launched with two objectives: to create a global sporting event, with competitions and medals and also an educational environment in which young people could discuss and exchange ideas on health, nutrition, ethics and Olympic values. Cultural and educational programme The cultural and educational programme was incorporated from the outset at the first Games in Singapore in 2010. It included workshops on fair play, introductions to Olympism, appearances by former champions and discussions on combating doping and managing sporting careers. Unlike the Olympic Games for adult athletes, the YOG are not solely about excellence and performance. They are intended to represent a stage in the development of young athletes. Participants learn not only how to handle an international competition but also how to conduct themselves as representatives of their sport and country. Dakar 2026: a first for Africa Since the first modern Olympics in Athens in 1896, the Games have travelled to Europe, the Americas, Oceania and Asia — but have never been held in Africa. The fourth edition of the Summer Youth Olympic Games will put that right when nearly 3,000 athletes from 204 national Olympic committees compete over a fortnight. The event in Senegal was originally scheduled for 2022 but was postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Senegal unions press on with general strike days before Youth Olympics The Dakar YOG have therefore been conceived on a continental scale. This is reflected in the Games' motto: “Africa welcomes, Dakar celebrates.” Senegal is leading the project, but the Games are being presented as proof of Africa's ability to organise an international event, mobilise infrastructure, volunteers and provide an experience for delegations from around the world. Athletes, events and new features The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games stand out for several distinctive features that make them an unprecedented event in Olympic history. The first is full gender parity. A total of 1,350 boys and 1,350 girls will compete. Each gender will have 73 medal events, with a further seven mixed events. It is the first time in Olympic history that an event has achieved such a balance between women and men, both in the number of athletes and the number of titles awarded. Another notable feature is the introduction of sports and innovative formats. Dakar will host wushu, a Chinese martial art, for the first time at the Games. Other new sports include baseball5, a simplified mixed-gender version of baseball, and beach wrestling. Senegal's President Faye: Macky Sall best candidate 'to fight for Africa' at UN Another important development is the participation of an Olympic Refugee Youth Team, as at the Paris Olympics. The six-athlete team has equal numbers of men and women. The young refugees will compete in athletics, judo and taekwondo. Host cities and competition venues The Dakar 2026 YOG will not be concentrated in a single urban area. The event will be spread across Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly, with venues allocated to specific sports. In Dakar, the capital, competitions will revolve around three main sites. The Egg Tower, or Olympic Swimming Pool, will host urban and spectacular sports: 3x3 basketball, baseball5, breaking, swimming and skateboarding. The Iba Mar Diop Stadium will stage athletics, boxing, futsal and rugby sevens. The Corniche Ouest will provide the setting for ten engagement sports, including karate, tennis and golf, as well as road cycling events, with the start and finish on the coast. Around 30 kilometres away, Diamniadio will serve as a modern Olympic hub. Its venues include the equestrian sports centre for showjumping; Dakar Arena for badminton and futsal; Abdoulaye Wade Stadium for archery; and the Dakar Exhibition Centre for fencing, artistic gymnastics, judo, taekwondo, table tennis and wushu. Diamniadio will also host the Youth Olympic Village. Further south, in the Mbour region, Saly completes the arrangements with a single venue: Saly West Beach. This coastal setting will be dedicated to sea and beach sports: coastal rowing, beach handball, beach wrestling, triathlon, sailing and beach volleyball. Agbegnenou, Gbagbi and Lopez: the role of athlete role models Since Singapore 2010, the YOG have included “athlete role models”, leading sporting figures who support young competitors. At Dakar, 42 athlete role models are expected to take part. Beyond their symbolic presence, they will contribute to the educational programme and everyday life of the Games. Each athlete, with a career at the highest level, will meet young competitors in their sport, follow their training, offer advice and provide support. They will also take part in workshops covering key topics such as career management, injury prevention, mental preparation and balancing sporting and personal life. Among those announced are Clarisse Agbegnenou (France, judo), Ruth Gbagbi (Côte d'Ivoire, taekwondo), Australian swimmer Emma McKeon and Cuban wrestler Mijaín Lopez. These athlete role models will be present at competition venues, in the stands, at training sessions and during medal ceremonies. They will also visit local communities to share their experiences and strengthen the connection between the event and the population. The 25 competition sports at Dakar 2026 Athletics, coastal rowing, badminton, baseball5, 3x3 basketball, boxing, breaking, road cycling, fencing, futsal, artistic gymnastics, beach handball, judo, beach wrestling, rugby sevens, street skateboarding, swimming, showjumping, taekwondo, table tennis, archery, triathlon, sailing, beach volleyball and wushu. These disciplines will be complemented by ten so-called “engagement sports”, which will be showcased to the general public: canoeing and kayaking, sport climbing, golf, weightlifting, hockey, karate, modern pentathlon, surfing, tennis and shooting. This story has been adapted from an original article in French by Ndiasse Sambe.