Senegal opens Youth Olympic Games in landmark African first

Senegal is kicking off the Youth Olympic Games, bringing an Olympic event to Africa for the first time as about 2,700 young athletes compete across three locations.

Senegal is launching the Youth Olympic Games on Saturday, marking the first time an Olympic event has been held in Africa.

About 2,700 athletes aged between 14 and 17 are expected to compete in 153 medal events across 25 sports. Competition will take place in Dakar, Diamniadio and the coastal resort of Saly, with the programme running through November 13.

Opening ceremony in Diamniadio

President Bassirou Diomaye Faye is scheduled to declare the Games open at 6:30 p.m. local time at Diamniadio stadium. International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry and several heads of state are expected to attend.

French actor Omar Sy and Senegalese Italian TikTok star Khaby Lame, both ambassadors for the Games, are also expected at the ceremony. Hundreds of dancers will take part in a cultural presentation highlighting Senegalese and African traditions.

The official mascot is Ayo, a young lion wearing a traditional Fulani hat. Its name means “joy” in Yoruba.

New sports and refugee participation

The programme includes beach wrestling, which is being staged for the first time and reflects the importance of Senegalese wrestling, the country’s national sport. Other events include Baseball5, a five-a-side form of baseball played without bats or gloves; wushu, a Chinese martial art; and coastal rowing beach sprint, which combines running on the beach with a head-to-head rowing race.

The Games will also feature the first refugee team to compete at a Youth Olympics. The six athletes, based in Kenya and Uganda, will participate in track and field, judo and taekwondo.

Thomas Dieme, a Senegalese student, said the event would give Senegal and Africa an opportunity to experience new sports. “This is a first opportunity for Senegal and, by extension, for Africa, to discover new sports,” he said.

He also welcomed the international gathering, saying, “It is only natural that we should all be happy to welcome other people, other cultures.”

Delayed Dakar edition

The Youth Olympics are smaller than the Summer Olympics. Singapore hosted the first summer edition in 2010, while Dakar was initially due to stage the Games in 2022. The event was postponed by four years because of the coronavirus pandemic.