Senegal Prepares to Welcome Historic Youth Olympic Games in Dakar
Senegal is kicking off the Youth Olympic Games on Saturday, bringing an Olympic event to Africa for the first time as the continent seeks a bigger role in international sporting competitions, France 24 reported. About 2,700 young athletes aged 14 to 17 will compete through Nov. 13 in the capital, Dakar, the nearby city of Diamniadio, and the beach resort of Saly.
Hundreds of dancers will join a spectacle celebrating Senegalese and African culture, aligning with the games’ motto “Africa welcomes, Dakar celebrates.” President Bassirou Diomaye Faye is scheduled to declare the games open at 6:30 pm local time at the Diamniadio stadium, where International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry and several heads of state are expected to be present.
Pandemic Delays Push Opening
Dakar was initially due to host the competition in 2022, but the coronavirus pandemic delayed the games by four years. The Youth Olympics are a smaller competition than the Summer Olympics. Singapore hosted the first summer edition in 2010.
Athletes will compete in 153 medal events across 25 sports, including athletics, swimming, and 3-x-3 basketball. Several sports will make their Youth Olympic debuts during the Dakar games. These include Baseball5, a five-on-five version of baseball played without bats and gloves; Wushu, a Chinese martial art that can be choreography-based or a combat sport; and coastal rowing beach sprint, which combines beach runs with a head-to-head rowing race.
Beach wrestling will also feature at the Youth Olympics for the first time, serving as a nod to Senegalese wrestling, the country’s national sport traditionally performed on sand. Additionally, the first refugee team at a Youth Olympics will field six athletes based in Kenya and Uganda in track and field, judo, and taekwondo.
Global Context and Diplomatic Shifts in Sport
The games arrive 130 years after the modern Olympics began in Athens. Kirsty Coventry, a Zimbabwean swimming champion, became the IOC’s first African and first female president last year. “It is time for Africa, time for Senegal,” Coventry told media upon arriving in Senegal on Tuesday.
African countries increasingly view sport as “a weapon in diplomacy and a tool for development”, according to Dakar-based sports analyst Frédéric Sohoundé. South Africa hosted the continent’s first soccer FIFA World Cup in 2010, and Morocco will co-host the 2030 tournament with Spain and Portugal. Rwanda hosted Africa’s first road cycling world championships last year, Formula 1 is returning to Africa with a grand prix in Rwanda starting early next decade, and Botswana staged the World Athletics Relays in May.
Meanwhile, Russia’s delegation of 13 athletes is competing under its national flag for the first time at an Olympic event since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 led to its suspension. Russians at the Paris Olympics of 2024 and this year’s Winter Olympics competed as neutral athletes without national symbols. That follows a shift in the IOC’s approach under Coventry, who has stated that the Olympics shouldn’t “hold athletes accountable for the actions of their governments”. It could serve as a trial run for a full Russian return at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
Local Economic Pressures and Infrastructure Concerns
The games arrive as Senegal grapples with a debt crisis and public frustration over living costs. Billions of dollars of unreported debt by the previous administration have left authorities with little money for public spending, while layoffs and rising living costs have fueled protests in recent months. Many residents said in interviews that they are prioritizing making ends meet over attending sporting activities.
A government-led foundation drew criticism after announcing a contribution of 500 million CFA francs, about $854,000, to buy 200,000 tickets for school children. Critics questioned the money’s source, which the president’s political movement said came from donors and benefactors. President Faye has defended the spending on the games, citing renovated sports facilities, training for young people, and contracts for local businesses.
Analyst Frédéric Sohoundé noted that Senegal needs reliable maintenance funding and regular events after the games to prevent its venues from becoming expensive, unused facilities.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Dakar Youth Olympics
Who are the official ambassadors for the Dakar Youth Olympics?
Among the celebrities expected at Saturday’s opening ceremony is French actor Omar Sy, who has Senegalese roots and stars in the Netflix series “Lupin,” alongside Senegalese Italian TikTok star Khaby Lame, both ambassadors for the games.
What does the official mascot represent?
The mascot, Ayo, is a young lion wearing a traditional Fulani hat. Its name means “joy” in Yoruba, a language spoken in Nigeria and neighboring West African countries.
How many athletes are participating in the event?
About 2,700 young athletes aged 14 to 17 are competing across 153 medal events through Nov. 13.