Overview
- The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games opened on October 31 at the Abdoulaye Wade Stadium in Diamniadio with President Bassirou Diomaye Faye declaring the event open and IOC President Kirsty Coventry in attendance.
- Competition runs until November 13 across three hubs—Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly—with a youth programme of 25 sports, 153 medal events and the Youth Olympic debuts of Baseball5 and Wushu taolu.
- Around 2,655 athletes aged 14 to 17 from roughly 204–205 delegations are taking part in the first Youth Olympics to achieve full gender parity and to include a six‑athlete Refugee Olympic Team.
- Organisers report they addressed last‑minute venue, energy and weather risks and that the Games’ budget is secured, but public reports show differing infrastructure cost figures and note an €80 million loan from the French Development Agency.
- Major sponsors such as Visa, Samsung and Alibaba Cloud are active at the Games, broadcasters including NBC/Peacock and Olympics.com are streaming events, and organisers say the investments aim to build lasting sports facilities and boost Africa’s prospects to host future Olympic bids.