With just over 100 days to go until the Youth Olympic Games begin in Senegal, workers are putting the finishing touches on venues for an event many see as a milestone for Africa.
Despite producing some of the world’s greatest athletes in football, athletics and boxing, Africa has never hosted an Olympic-branded competition. That will change on 31 October when Dakar 2026 gets underway.
“It is monumental,” International Olympic Committee (IOC) official Christophe Dubi told BBC Sport Africa. “Africa has hosted many international competitions, but this is the first time we have anything labelled with the Olympic rings. The entire continent will be celebrating with Dakar hosting.”
Senegal’s capital was awarded the Games in October 2018. They were originally scheduled for 2022 but were postponed by four years because of the Covid-19 pandemic, giving organisers more time to prepare. Events will be held across three locations: Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly.
That extra time appears to have paid off. Senegal’s infrastructure ministry said in late June that all Games infrastructure would be handed over to organisers by 31 July. The competition centre, Iba Mar Diop Stadium, the Olympic swimming pool and the athletes’ village have already been completed, with only minor work remaining in Diamniadio. Organisers estimate the overall project is between 95% and 97% complete.
Thierno Cisse, deputy chief operating officer of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), said Senegal understands the significance of hosting the event.
“We know we are going to be ambassadors for Africa during this period,” he told the BBC. “It’s really important for us as a country to proudly represent the whole continent and show that Africa has high standards.”
A Young Continent in the Spotlight
The timing is symbolic. Africa is the world’s youngest continent, with the United Nations estimating that about 70% of people in sub-Saharan Africa are under the age of 30.
“The symbolism of having Africa hosting the sports community is very strong,” Dubi said. “This is a very important first step.”
For many people in Dakar, though, the Games also represent an opportunity to draw attention to the challenges facing young Senegalese. Official figures show unemployment among people aged 15 to 34 stands above 27%, contributing to a rise in irregular migration as many leave in search of better opportunities abroad.
“We are in a country where the rate of joblessness is very high,” Dakar resident Issa Diao told BBC Sport Africa. “So when we have this kind of event here, it will help people to get jobs.”
Star Ambassadors and a Refugee Team
Organisers have enlisted a high-profile group of ambassadors, including Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly, social media star Khaby Lame and French actor Omar Sy. The IOC has also appointed 31 athlete role models who will mentor competitors throughout the Games.
Building local expertise has been another priority. Last year, the IOC launched a programme to train more than 400 young Africans in event operations, logistics, technology, accreditation and venue management.
“In our recruitment strategy, we decided to open the gates to the whole continent,” Cisse said. “We have more than 30 countries represented from all around the world, but mainly from Africa as youth volunteers.”
Dakar 2026 will also feature a youth refugee team, expanding on a concept first introduced at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Working with the Olympic Refuge Foundation and international sports federations, the IOC identified promising refugee athletes through trials and development programmes in East Africa. Those selected will receive educational and wellbeing support alongside their sporting preparation.
“It sends a very clear message,” Dubi said. “Even for people who have lived through extremely difficult circumstances, there is still hope. There is a place where you are welcomed.”
Built With Legacy in Mind
About 2,700 athletes will compete in 25 sports, alongside 10 non-competitive engagement sports aimed at encouraging local youth participation. More than 200 National Olympic Committees have already confirmed their athlete quotas, and team officials have met to coordinate Games-time planning.
Rather than build a host of new venues, organisers focused on renovating existing facilities that will continue serving local communities after the Games.
“Two magnificent locations have been rescued from the centre of Dakar,” Dubi said. “They could easily have been sold for housing, but instead they’ve been saved for sport. This is about thinking beyond the Games.”
The cost of hosting remains under scrutiny. Senegal is reported to have spent about $270 million constructing the Abdoulaye Wade Stadium in Diamniadio, which will stage the opening ceremony. The country’s sports ministry has also estimated that organising the Games will cost another $60 million, although neither the LOC nor the IOC confirmed those figures to the BBC.
For organisers, success will ultimately be measured by what the Games leave behind.
“The Games are opening a whole range of new sports that are not famous here,” Cisse said. “Maybe we’ll be able to say in 20 years that some champions were discovered.”
An African Leading the Olympic Movement
The Games will also take place under the leadership of the IOC’s first female and first African president, Zimbabwean former Olympic swimmer Kirsty Coventry. Before taking the organisation’s top job, she chaired the coordination commission overseeing preparations for Dakar 2026.
“We are very proud that an African woman is representing the continent on the biggest stage,” Cisse said. “It’s also a special link for us because she was the president of the coordination commission for the Dakar Games before being elected president. I know she has a special bond with the Games and holds them in very high esteem.”
The official motto, “Africa Welcomes, Dakar Celebrates,” reflects organisers’ ambition to make the event a celebration of the entire continent rather than Senegal alone. The Youth Olympic flame will be lit in Athens on 10 September before arriving in Dakar two days later. It will then travel through all 14 regions of Senegal ahead of the opening ceremony.
The IOC sees Dakar 2026 as more than a sporting event. It has positioned the Games as a celebration of youth, culture and Africa’s growing influence on the global stage.
“It’s going to have an effect that is wider than Senegal and Dakar,” Dubi said. “It’s not only about sport. People will be amazed by what they will see. It’s the energy.”
As the countdown continues, expectations are growing that Dakar 2026 will do more than make Olympic history. Organisers hope it will create lasting opportunities for young people, sports administrators and athletes across Africa, while showing the world that the continent is ready to host the Olympic movement’s biggest events.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah