Senegal defender Abdou Diallo excited and proud of Dakar 2026 impact

The former PSG player talked to Olympics.com about the legacy-defining Youth Olympic Games, as Dakar prepares to host the second edition of ‘Dakar en Jeux Festival’.

4 minBy Evelyn Watta
A male football player raises his fists in celebration on a pitch.
(Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Senegal’s historic win at the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations remains one of the most beautiful memories of Abdou Diallo’s football career, an illustrious run that has seen him play in the heart of Europe in the Bundesliga and for Paris St Germain, clinching Ligue 1 titles, two French Cups and the League Cup.

Still, for Diallo, it’s hard to separate those special moments with another upcoming milestone for Senegal - hosting the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026.

The West African nation will be the first country on the continent to host an Olympic event.

As Dakar 2026 prepares for another sporting rendez-vous - the second edition of the Dakar en Jeux festival - Diallo reflected on what the Youth Olympic Games mean for him and more than 16 million fellow Senegalese.

“It shows the importance of Senegal internationally,” he told Olympics.com. “It’s a proud, proud moment.”

Dakar en Jeux festival, a series of cultural and sporting events, takes place from 31 October to 4 November.

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Abdou Diallo on Senegal hosting Dakar 2026: 'It's good for infrastructure'

When Senegal made history by winning the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time ever, Diallo was one of the central characters of that magical moment.

The 27-year-old played every single minute of the tournament. He scored in the semi-final against Burkina Faso and his converted penalty kick made the difference in the final against Egypt.

The euphoria of their continental football success remains strong as the country readies for the first Youth Olympic Games in Africa.

In February 2022, Senegal inaugurated the Diamniadio Olympic stadium, Stade du Senegal - Abdoulaye Wade. The 50,000-seat capacity stadium will be the main venue for the Games in three years. Since its inauguration, it has also served as the home base for the Senegalese football team.

The stadium is part of the long-term impact and legacy of the Youth Olympics that excites Diallo.

“We are developing, particularly in terms of the infrastructure. We have the Dakar Arena right next door. We have big stadiums, the brand new stadium,” the defender who was born to Senegalese parents in Tours, France told Olympics.com when the city hosted the Paris 2024 Boxing Africa Qualifier at the Dakar Arena.

The arena is another venue built for the Games. It now hosts major continental sporting tournaments.

“Having all these stadiums, the results will follow, especially in football," Diallo said. "I hope that in boxing, gymnastics and athletics results will follow too. So, hosting the Youth Olympics is all positive. We still have a lot of room for improvement, but we are on the right track.”

How Abdou Diallo thinks Dakar 2026 will boost women sport

The versatile defender, who played in the French Youth teams for eight years before deciding to represent the African team as a senior in 2021, believes Dakar 2026 will continue to be a catalyst for sport, especially for girls in Senegal.

Like at Buenos Aires 2018 and Paris 2024 next year, Dakar 2026 will have an equal number of male and female athletes competing. Another first for Dakar will be an equal representation in the number of events.

Of the 239 events in Dakar, there will be 11 mixed team events, 114 men's events, and 114 women's events. The only gender-restricted competitions will be the women's rhythmic gymnastics individual and group events. They will be balanced out by the two additional men's apparatus in artistic gymnastics.

“Women and men are equal and if it's good for men, it's good for women. So the point is not to exclude then, on the contrary. I think involving women leads to a situation is beneficial for all. It creates a bond, there's a sharing of values. And if men benefit, women should too,” said the former PSG defender who now plays for Qatar’s Al-Arabi.

“I hope they can perform and enjoy. In any case, we will follow them. And we only hope the best for the future.”

Football is one of the 28 sports that will be on the Dakar 2026 programme, alongside seven additional sports proposed by the hosts: baseball 5, breaking, karate, skateboarding, sport climbing, surfing and wushu.

Abdou Diallo, who has helped Senegal clinch a historic win at the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations, currently plays for Qatar's Al-Arabi.

(Masashi Hara/Getty Images)
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