4th Youth Olympic Games opens in Dakar, Senegal

DAKAR -- The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) opened on Saturday, marking the first time an Olympic event has been hosted on African soil.

The opening ceremony took place at the 55,000-seat Abdoulaye Wade Stadium in Diamniadio, a new city located 30 km from Senegal's capital of Dakar.

According to the organizing committee, Khady Niang, the ceremonies director, said the show allows Africa to "tell the world who we are, where we come from and where we want to go."

Held in Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly from Oct 31 to Nov 13, the fourth edition of the YOG will bring together more than 2,600 athletes from over 200 delegations. Twenty-five sports will feature on the official competition program, alongside 10 engagement sports.

Meanwhile, Dakar 2026 will also see the Youth Olympic debuts of wushu, baseball5 and skateboarding, as well as the historic first appearance of the Refugee Olympic Team.