Senegal is set to make sporting history on Saturday as Dakar prepares to host the first Olympic sporting event ever staged on African soil, with almost 2,700 athletes aged between 14 and 17 arriving from 204 National Olympic Committees for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games. The Games, which run until 13 November, were originally scheduled for 2022 but were postponed by four years because of the COVID 19 pandemic.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry said on Thursday that preparations had reached the necessary milestones, expressing confidence in the readiness of venues and the athletes’ village following an inspection in the Senegalese capital. For an event that has been years in the making, the final preparations mark a significant moment not only for Senegal but for African sport more broadly.
“It’s here. We are so happy. This has been a long time in the making,” Coventry told journalists in Dakar. She said organisers had completed the major milestones required to proceed with the Games, adding that she felt particularly proud to witness an Olympic event taking shape in Africa.
The significance of the occasion is also personal for Coventry. A former Olympic swimming champion from Zimbabwe, she became the first African to lead the IOC following her election in 2025. Her presidency coincides with a milestone in the Olympic movement’s relationship with the continent, which has never hosted the Summer Olympic Games despite several bids over the years. Dakar’s preparations have not been without challenges. Organisers acknowledged last minute difficulties involving energy supply and rainfall but confirmed that the Games would proceed as scheduled. More than 6,000 volunteers are supporting the event, while security arrangements will include Spanish and French police officers with experience from the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Coventry said the progress was particularly meaningful because she had been part of the IOC when the decision was taken to award the Games to Dakar. Seeing the preparations reach this stage, she said, demonstrated the scale of the Olympic event being delivered. Beyond the competition itself, organisers and Olympic officials are looking to the longer term impact of hosting the Games. Humphrey Kayange, chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for Dakar 2026, said the event could leave a legacy extending beyond the sporting programme, particularly through infrastructure, venues and the development of personnel.
Kayange said the hope was that the momentum generated by Dakar would continue to create opportunities for sport across the continent. The value of the Games, in this regard, will be measured not only by the performances of young athletes but also by what remains after the closing ceremony. The timing is notable for South Africa, where Durban was named on Thursday as the country’s candidate city for a possible bid to host the 2036 or 2040 Olympic Games. Africa’s previous attempts to secure the Summer Olympics have not resulted in a successful bid, making Dakar’s role as host of the Youth Olympic Games an important development in the continent’s Olympic history.
Although the Youth Olympic Games are distinct from the senior Summer Olympics, their arrival in Africa offers an opportunity to demonstrate the continent’s capacity to stage an international multi sport event. It also places African athletes, sporting institutions and host cities at the centre of a global Olympic occasion.
For Senegal, the Games represent a major international moment. For the wider continent, they offer a chance to build on the infrastructure, expertise and institutional experience developed through hosting. Whether that momentum translates into a future Summer Olympics will depend on sustained investment and the ability to turn the event’s legacy into lasting sporting opportunities.
