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Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games Bring the Olympics to Africa for the First Time

About 2,700 young athletes from 205 national Olympic committees and the Olympic Refugee Team gather in Senegal for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, which open Saturday at Stade Abdoulaye Wade in Diamniadio and run through November 13.

By admin Oct. 31, 2026 · 9:44 AM ET 2 min read

A large modern stadium with floodlights on and crowds of spectators entering at sunset

The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games open on Saturday in Senegal, bringing an Olympic event to Africa for the first time. The opening ceremony is set for 6:30 p.m. local time (2:30 p.m. ET) at Stade Abdoulaye Wade in Diamniadio, a city about 30 kilometers from Dakar, with more than 55,000 spectators expected.

The ceremony will feature more than 700 dancers and a parade of athletes from the participating delegations, according to Panam Sports, which will carry the Games live. The show is planned to present Senegalese culture and cultures from across Africa.

Dancers in colorful costumes performing on a stadium field at night under fireworks

A first for Africa

Dakar is the fourth host of the Summer Youth Olympic Games, after Singapore in 2010, Nanjing in 2014 and Buenos Aires in 2018. Senegal was first due to host in 2022, but Senegal and the International Olympic Committee agreed in 2020 to postpone the event amid disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Games are also the first Youth Olympic Games to include a Refugee Olympic Team, and the first to offer an equal number of events for men and women, Panam Sports reported. Competition runs through November 13.

Young athletes training on a running track inside a large stadium with empty stands

What is on the program

About 2,700 athletes aged 18 and under are taking part, representing 205 national Olympic committees and the Olympic Refugee Team, according to Panam Sports. The program lists 25 competition sports and 153 medal events, plus 10 engagement sports where no medals are awarded.

Track and field, swimming, 3×3 basketball, boxing, breaking, skateboarding and taekwondo are among the competition sports, and baseball5 and wushu are new to the Youth Olympic program. Baseball5 competition began on October 30, ahead of the formal opening, according to the International Olympic Committee program cited by Okay News.

Four people playing beach volleyball on a sandy court beside the ocean

Events are spread across three places: Dakar, Diamniadio and the seaside resort of Saly, which hosts beach sports and water events. The Youth Olympic Village is in Diamniadio. The United States sends 29 athletes in 12 sports, while Mexico, with 62 athletes in 18 sports, has the largest delegation from the Americas.

Reporting based on coverage by Panam Sports and Okay News.

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