Dakar 2026: Inside the Malika Surf Camp, where Senegal’s rising Olympic talents are shaped
Discover how a surf school, founded 15 years ago by Italian Marta Imarisio, became a cornerstone for the local community, empowering African kids on and off the waves.
Surfing
From teaching tourists to surf, to helping the local community and forging future Olympic athletes.
That, in a nutshell, sums up the journey of Marta Imarisio, a passionate Italian woman from the northern town of Casale Monferrato who moved to Senegal in 2009 with dreams of opening a surf school, only to find a greater purpose in the West African country.
“Why Senegal? Because I had friends who told me about these waves in Senegal, and it was a time when I wanted to set off somewhere. I wanted to try doing something on my own; I already had my instructor's certification, so I thought, let’s give it a try,” she told Olympics.com when we met her recently.
"I had the chance to come here for free for six months, and during those six months, I realised I wanted to stay."
In 2009 she founded the Malika Surf Camp, named after the village where she met her husband Aziz. Located on the northern shores of Yoff beach, the camp is 20 minutes from Dakar city centre: “In the beginning, we had this small house where we could host up to six people and offer surf courses,” she recalls, surrounded by colourful boards in the club's accommodation patio.
“Malika Surf Camp then became something bigger — a larger camp, an economic activity that is fully integrated into the local community.”
As the camp expanded its business, more surfing instructors were needed: “We started training local people and we also organised English courses, because the majority of our clients speak English,” Marta said.
Today, the Malika Surf Camp employs around 10 people, offering various classes - from surfing and beach volleyball to yoga - and organising boat trips beyond the Dakar peninsula.
The camp also allowed local businesses to connect to the power grid in an area that had no electricity until five years ago. “Restaurants began to open, other surf schools appeared, and small boutiques grew larger, offering more services for everyone,” she added.
Marta Imarisio moved to Senegal in 2009
Helping children in Dakar
“When I came here, my idea was to surf and start my own business because, after all, I needed to work. But then, as I got to know the people, the reality here, and also the kids... I have three children myself – it made me realise you can’t just focus on a surfboard, because there are situations here that can sometimes be a bit challenging,” Marta told us.
“Family conditions are often somewhat precarious. Many parents live day to day, there are often divorced families, children who don’t go to school, and illiterate parents.”
Helping those kids gradually became her mission, leading her to found the Surf Kids Shredding Senegal Foundation in 2019. The charity's goal is to support children in both education and sports, which includes providing surfboards and coaching, as well as assistance with school fees and homework sessions at the camp.
"There are about five or six of us who believe in this project; we believe that these kids can go somewhere," said the Italian, who runs the foundation on a volunteer basis.
One story she wanted to share is about a troubled boy, whose parents neglected his education and refused to pay for his school fees: “He stayed at my house for three years. At first, he stole a bit and he caused a lot of trouble on the streets. But then he started to get his act together, passed his primary school exams, and now his parents have enrolled him in a more expensive school, and we’re covering half the costs, that’s a huge achievement for me.”
Surfing in Senegal
In the last few years Senegal has become a surfing destination. Dakar, in particular, offers favourable conditions all year round: “The Dakar peninsula receives swells from north to south. This means that, even in terms of winds, if it’s onshore on one side, you can surf on the other,” she explained.
“It’s also becoming increasingly accessible from Europe, with direct flights now available from all the capitals. This likely encourages more and more people to come and discover Senegal's waves. There are very talented surfers here, and there’s also a sense of sharing in the water, so it’s not yet a saturated place where you have to fight for every wave.”
More Senegalese surfers have also started to shine at the continental level and some of them come through the Malika Surf Camp: “We are the surf club that is perhaps the largest and has the most sporting achievements. We have the most medals, and we also have many Senegalese champions,” Marta said proudly.
Dakar 2026, an opportunity for Senegalese athletes
Surfing will be one of the 36 sports featuring at the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026: “It’s not a small event and I hope that it will help recognise the talent that we have here,” she said.
Often, competing in international events has proved challenging for many African surfers due to the high travel fees and visa issues:
"The problem for Senegalese surfers is that they aren’t very well known because it’s difficult for them to leave this country.
“I want these young Senegalese athletes, who are strong in all sports, to have equal opportunities to travel and compete abroad. I hope that the Olympics will help raise awareness about this situation.”
Imarisio is also working for the Development division of the African Surf Confederation, which - starting this year - has organised a series, called the Africa Surf Tour, helping surfers across the continent to compete for prize money and earn ranking points.
The Italian also urges international spectators to have faith in the local organisers and shared what she learned most after living in the country for fifteen years: “It has taught me to have a much more flexible mindset, to truly distinguish between what is important and what is not, and not to get upset about anything."
The story of Marta can also be a source of inspiration for the young athletes who will compete at Dakar 2026: “If you really want something, you can achieve anything – she concluded - Because when you look at certain situations, even with the scarcity of resources available, if you’re determined and find solutions, you can make progress.”