The 2026 Youth Olympic Games, the first Olympics ever to be held on African soil, open Saturday in the Senegalese capital marking an historic moment for the continent.
Signs proclaiming “Africa welcomes, Dakar celebrates” are abundant across Dakar, which is hosting some 2,665 young competitors aged 14 to 17 from around the world.
The event marks the return of Russian athletes to the Olympics and also includes a refugee team. Overall, the athletes will compete across 25 sports and 153 medal events.
“We’ve got people from around the world that maybe had a very different idea about Africa and they’re going to leave, hopefully, with something really positive in mind”, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry, a former Zimbabwean swimmer, said Thursday during a press conference in Dakar.
“I think that is really important for our continent”, she said.
Events ranging from athletics to beach wrestling, rugby sevens to
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