Dakar 2026 steps into the spotlight as Paris 2024 draws to a close
As the Olympic Games Paris 2024 draw to a close, attention is turning to the next summer Olympic event – the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Dakar 2026.
The YOG Dakar 2026 will take place across two weeks from 31 October 2026, bringing together the world’s best young athletes in Senegal for the first Olympic sporting event to be held on African soil. The Games will be held in three host sites (Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly), and are envisioned to serve as a catalyst to transform Senegal through sport, while also aiming to inspire new hope, opportunities and confidence among young people across Africa and become a blueprint for future YOG hosts. This approach is embodied in the new motto for the Games, “Africa welcomes, Dakar celebrates”, which aims to express how the young people of Africa are ready to welcome the world's youth to collaboratively shape the ambitions of their shared future during the Games.
The spirit of “Teranga”
With the desire to take the YOG to all parts of the world and to position the Games at the centre of Africa's transformation, Dakar 2026 is deeply connected to Senegal's rich sporting culture and history, and its youth. The YOG will also offer the Senegalese people the chance to share their warmth and friendliness with the world, and their renowned Teranga spirit. Teranga, also written as Teraanga, is a word coined from the local Wolof dialect and encompasses the warmth, generosity and sharing that is core to Senegalese life. It is a value that is central to daily life in the West African nation and is sure to be on full display when the country hosts the YOG, with athletes and fans set to experience this distinct brand of respect and hospitality.
New approach to the sports programme
Dakar 2026 will be the first Games to benefit from a new approach to the YOG sports programme, which aims to better fit into the local and regional context of each edition. This revised process will see a tailored sports competition programme designed for each edition of the YOG, created in close collaboration with the Organising Committee (YOGOC) and the International Federations (IFs), to ensure the YOG retain their position as an elite multisport competition and sport engagement platform.
For Dakar 2026, this will see 25 sports featuring on the competition programme and 10 forming part of a new “engagement programme”, which aims to help build interest and participation within the host country and host region by enabling local youth to try these specific sports, rather than simply being spectators.
A glimpse of what to expect
For the past two years, the Dakar en Jeux festival has provided a celebration of sport and the Olympic spirit within the host communities in the lead-up to Dakar 2026, while also offering a glimpse of what to expect during the YOG.
The festival has seen thousands of people participate in sports initiations and demonstrations, music concerts and cultural activities, helping to engage local youth, promote physical activity and raise awareness of both the YOG and the values of the Olympic Movement. The 2024 edition of the Dakar en Jeux festival will be held in Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly from 7 to 10 November 2024. The programme will include a mix of sports, culture and education, aimed at engaging the local youth.
Focus on youth engagement
In addition to the Dakar en Jeux festival, the Dakar 2026 Organising Committee has launched several activities aimed at engaging and mobilising young people in the host nation and beyond in the lead-up to the YOG. These include the Brevet Olympique, Civique et Sportif (Olympic, Civic and Sports Certificate) – an education programme focused on the Olympic values that was launched in 2023 and aims to reach up to 900,000 children in 11,000 schools by 2026.
In addition, the Kids’ Olympic Skills initiative aims to help promote education and youth engagement through sport, with the nationwide project giving children aged from 6 to 18 the chance to try a range of different sports ahead of the YOG. These programmes are a key part of efforts to create a tangible legacy for the young generation in the host country of Senegal and the wider African continent.