International Women's Day 2024: Dakar 2026 engagement director Fanta Diallo: "We must not give ourselves any limits"
To mark International Women's Day, Olympics.com spoke with one of the female leaders within the organisation of the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal.
In 2026, Senegal will have the honour of hosting the first-ever Olympic event in history on African soil.
Fanta Diallo is one of the leading women within the organising committee of the fourth Youth Olympic Games (YOG), scheduled to take place from 31 October to 13 November in the Senegalese cities of Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly.
More than five years ago, the former sociologist picked up the Olympic flag at the Closing Ceremony of Buenos Aires 2018, marking the beginning of her new professional adventure as the Engagement and Mobilisation Manager for Dakar 2026
Olympics.com met with her at the last edition of the Dakar en Jeux festival to talk about her career as a woman with a leadership role within the world of African sports.
Fanta Diallo (right) during Dakar en Jeux 2023
Fanta Diallo: A female leader in Senegalese sport
Similar to Stephen Curry before taking a shot, Diallo is not someone who sets limits for herself.
The Senegalese is a big fan of the basketball star and during her over a decade-long career in sports, she has never hesitated to pursue her goals in a heavily male-dominated environment.
"You can't set yourself any limits," she says, "you can't say to yourself that this is a job for men only and that there's no place for me. You shouldn't have any limits, you shouldn't be afraid.
A trained sociologist, Diallo previously held a position at the city of Dakar, serving as the director of sports, youth, and community life. Since 2018, she has been actively involved in the Senegalese sporting movement, focusing on the upcoming Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026.
In her role as the head of engagement and mobilisation for the organising committee, Fanta Diallo is tasked with overseeing coordination among various stakeholders in Senegalese sports, cultural associations, and understanding the sociological dynamics of the population, particularly in the city of Dakar.
"It's a job I'm passionate about, I make my living from my passion," she said at a sports event during the Dakar en Jeux 2023 festival.
Her main mission? To ensure that all Senegalese can take part in the home YOG in one way or another.
"It's inconceivable that we could have the Youth Olympic Games in Senegal and not have a single citizen in the loop. It's a big challenge for me," she said. "We're going to implement programmes that will enable us to reach as many, if not, all Senegalese as possible. And Africa above all, because we're aiming for Africa!"
No doubts or limitations, that's the message she wants to convey to young girls aspiring to leadership roles in Senegal.
The key is not to set limits on what you want to do. I encourage more and more young girls not to set limits for themselves. You have to follow your dreams. - Fanta Diallo
Engaging a sports-loving country
The impact of the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026 will not be limited to the sporting aspect.
The YOG will be at the heart of Senegal's social and economic development, and will heavily rely on the country's young population. According to the latest census by the National Agency for Statistics and Demography (ANSD), half the population is under 19 years of age, and children under 15 account for more than 39% of the total population.
Diallo is well aware of these social dynamics, having trained as a sociologist and worked for over 10 years in the social, political and sporting spheres in the Dakar region.
In order to involve as many people as possible, she has helped develop a number of sporting and cultural programmes, such as the Festival 'Dakar en Jeux.'
"The Dakar en Jeux Festival is one of the programmes we have developed to see how we can mobilise and engage young people and encourage them to participate as much as possible in the Youth Olympic Games. It's through these different programmes that we're going to engage and mobilise them over the next two years."
Diallo is also committed to incorporating ecological awareness-raising initiatives, always with the aim of educating Senegal's youth.
"In June 2023, we launched the venues tour. We went all over the south of the country, and we integrated sustainable development activities during our operations: tree planting, rubbish collection, square clean-ups...we make sure to implement sustainable development activities in all the missions we have."
Tree planting activities took place at Senegalese schools during Dakar en Jeux 2023
For Diallo, getting Senegalese people interested in the Youth Olympic Games isn't too challenging, given their incredible passion for sports: "Dakar 2026 is an interesting project in itself. You don't need to motivate people to come and be passionate or to want to take part.
She's envisioning a major participation in just over two years, but not only from their own nation but beyond. Once again, Diallo refuses to set limits.
"Dakar 2026's commitment must not be limited to Senegal. It must go beyond that. It must touch Africa. It must touch the world. Through Olympics.com, we can reach all these targets."
"You know, you can't go around the country, get people interested, tell them about the YOG and at the end of the day, they don't participate in one way or another. They can be spectators, they can be athletes, they can be participants. There are so many ways to take part, to experience the event," she firmly states.
In the end, the only thing Diallo can't keep up with is American basketball. "I love basketball and the NBA in particular, and I spend some sleepless nights following it. But, now that I'm getting older and the duties are getting heavier, it's only during the Playoffs that I shorten my nights' sleep."
However, like the best basketball players, Dakar 2026 can count on her for the crucial moments that lie ahead.