Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics, Africa's first Olympic event, due to open in Senegal on 31 October

Centre · 1Senegal is due to stage the Youth Olympic Games, the first event carrying the Olympic rings to be hosted on African soil, with the opening on Saturday 31 October and 15 days of competition running until 13 November. 1 Centre · 2About 2,700 athletes, predominantly aged 15 to 17, will compete in 25 sports with 153 medal events, plus 10 engagement sports without medals. 1 2 Centre · 2Venues are in Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly; the BBC says organisers renovated and repurposed existing facilities, with the Abdoulaye Wade Stadium in Diamniadio hosting the opening ceremony, while DW counts eight venues across the three locations. 1 2

Centre · 2Baseball5 and Wushu Taolu make their Youth Olympics debut, and a refugee team competes at the Youth Olympics for the first time; organisers say the athletes are split 50-50 between men and women. 1 2 Centre · 1IOC official Christophe Dubi called hosting in Senegal "monumental" for the continent, and Thierno Cisse of the local organising committee said Senegal would be "ambassadors for Africa"; both describe the Games as being about more than sport. 1 Centre · 2Organising committee official Olivia Nloga told DW the Games include cultural projects such as a fashion show and a mural programme, and an Olympic Civic and Sports Certificate programme that she said reached more than one million Senegalese children. The BBC adds that more than 400 young Africans have been trained in event operations. 2 1

Centre · 1Cost is an open question: neither the organising committee nor the IOC gave the BBC a total figure, though Senegal's government committed to spend at least $60m under the host contract, with loans thought to be around $90m going to long-term sports infrastructure; the Abdoulaye Wade Stadium, opened in 2022, reportedly cost $270m. A post-Games impact report is expected to reveal the final cost. 1 Centre · 2DW reports that many Senegalese worried about the cost of living and unemployment may see the Games as an unnecessary expense, while authorities see an opportunity for long-term investment and tourism; the BBC likewise notes some residents remain sceptical. 2 1 Centre · 1Human Rights Watch's Larissa Kojoué told DW that Senegal's anti-LGBT legislation contradicts the Olympic Charter; DW says President Bassirou Diomaye Faye signed a new law on same-sex relations earlier this year, which had broad parliamentary support but drew concern from rights groups. 2

Centre · 1DW also reports that Russians return to Olympic competition under their own colours after the IOC lifted their suspension in July, subject to each international federation's decision; the Russian Olympic Committee says 13 athletes and 10 coaches will attend. After recent flooding, Nloga said the prime minister had set up a task force to safeguard venues and accommodation. 2 Centre · 2Background: the Youth Olympics began in Singapore in 2010, followed by Nanjing in 2014 and Buenos Aires in 2018; Dakar was due to host in 2022 but was postponed because of Covid-19. DW suggests this may be the last Summer Youth Olympics, and the BBC notes IOC president Kirsty Coventry previously chaired the Dakar 2026 coordination commission. 1 2