Commuters at the Colobane train station in Dakar pass each day beneath a newly painted mural that is difficult to miss. Rising seven metres high alongside a busy footbridge, it offers a colourful reminder of both the upcoming Youth Olympic Games (YOG) and the young people they are set to inspire.
The eye-catching mural, created by talented street artists Zeinixx and Kathrina Rupit, brings together three generations of Senegalese athletes. Two of them are instantly recognisable to those who look up from their daily commute. Trailblazer Julie Marie Gomis has been a role model in the country since 1976, when she became the first Senegalese woman to compete at an edition of the Olympic Games. Combé Seck, meanwhile, represents a more recent chapter, with the sprint canoeist having carried the national flag at the Opening Ceremony of Paris 2024.
And then there is Tening Faye. While her face may not be as recognisable as those of Gomis and Seck, the teenager symbolises the exciting future of sport in Senegal. It is a future that will experience a defining moment when the country hosts the Dakar 2026 YOG, becoming the first African nation to stage an Olympic sporting event.
In 2025, at the age of 15, Faye became the first Senegalese athlete to win a medal at the World Taekwondo Cadet Championships, clinching bronze in the -44kg category. It was her first experience of competition at that level.
I was very emotional. It was my very first international competition, and I won the bronze medal. I’m so proud.
Faye’s historic achievement came just two years after taking up taekwondo, having been inspired by a friend to try the sport.
“[My friend] would walk past our house on her way to training, and every time, I wanted to follow her,” she explains. “That's when my mother spoke to the coach. That's where my career began. It was very difficult at the beginning because I hadn’t yet mastered the kicks. But the coach helped me improve.”
Faye’s rapid progress saw her standing on the podium at the World Taekwondo Cadet Championships.
“A statement of belief”
“When the International Olympic Committee selected Senegal in 2018, it placed its trust not only in a country, but in an entire continent,” says Ibrahima Wade, General Coordinator of the Dakar 2026 Organising Committee (YOGOC). “Our motto, ‘Africa welcomes, Dakar celebrates’, reflects this collective responsibility: these are not simply Dakar’s Games, but a milestone for Africa as a whole.”
This historic milestone will see around 2,700 athletes from all National Olympic Committees competing across 14 days of competition, with events staged in Dakar as well as Diamniadio, a rapidly developing city approximately 30 kilometres east of the Senegalese capital, and Saly, a beach resort that lies 80 kilometres to the south.
“This is really monumental,” says Humphrey Kayange, an IOC Member and the Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for Dakar 2026.
“Hosting the Games on behalf of the continent is huge."
For Africa, the potential that comes with hosting such an event is enormous. It will shape the future for the continent and for everyone coming to celebrate the Games on a new continent for the first time.
“But this is also about more than hosting the Games. It is a statement of belief that there is huge opportunity on the continent and that Africa can take a leading role in this space.”
Young at heart
Major international sporting events have been held on the continent before, with the 1995 Rugby World Cup and the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup being notable early milestones. Perhaps the biggest breakthrough, though, came with the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which demonstrated Africa’s ability to stage an event on a massive global scale. Regular events such as the African Games and the Africa Cup of Nations have also continued to build experience across the continent in organisation, infrastructure and delivery.
Dakar 2026 builds on that foundation, while introducing a stronger focus on using sport to support long-term development. With around 75 per cent of Senegal’s population under the age of 35, Dakar 2026 is placing young people at the centre of this approach, launching numerous programmes in the lead-up to the Games that aim to improve access to sports and create opportunities for the country’s youth.
“Young people are not only an audience for these Games – they are at the heart of their delivery,” explains Wade.
Under the “Jeunesse en Jeux” vision, up to 300,000 young people are expected to experience the Games, not only as spectators but also as active participants in sporting, cultural and educational activities. This builds on initiatives that have already engaged more than 480,000 young people across the country.
One of the most ambitious programmes is the Brevet olympique, civique et sportif, an educational programme focused on the Olympic values that has already reached more than one million children in 11,000 schools.
Alongside this, the Kids’ Olympic Skills initiative is giving young people aged 6–18 the opportunity to try a range of sports, helping to build interest and participation at grassroots level.
At the same time, Dakar 2026 is investing in skills development through its Learning Academy, which will train hundreds of young Senegalese and African professionals in sports and event management. Many of these participants are expected to go on and play a role in delivering the Games, creating a direct link between youth engagement and the organisation of the event itself.
Other initiatives will also give young people experience beyond sport and event delivery. Sixteen aspiring sports journalists have been selected for the IOC Young Reporters Programme, including six from Africa and three from Senegal, while eight IOC Young Leaders will be in Dakar to deliver sport-based activities with young athletes and local communities.
The volunteer programme, Jambaar26, has also generated strong interest, with close to 23,000 volunteer registrations received to date from 115 countries for approximately 6,000 roles – underlining both local and international enthusiasm for the Games.
“The Games are an invitation to every young Senegalese person, regardless of whether they ever set foot on a track or in a pool,” adds Wade.
Through the school programme, the volunteer experience and the Learning Academy, an entire generation is being given the opportunity to engage with these Games as participants rather than observers.
New generations, new sports
These initiatives and others together reflect Dakar 2026’s broader objective of using the YOG as a catalyst for youth development, with programmes that extend beyond sport to support education and social inclusion across Senegal and the wider region.
One of the most visible expressions of this approach so far has been Dakar en Jeux, an annual festival launched in 2022 that has helped engage local communities, promote healthy lifestyles and grow momentum in the build-up to the Games.
Organised across the Dakar 2026 host cities, the initiative has brought together sport and culture each year through a programme of activities that includes introductory sports sessions, demonstrations, concerts and artistic performances. Thousands of young people have already taken part, with events designed to encourage participation and promote physical activity, and workshops providing education on health and well-being.
The festivals have also provided an opportunity to introduce new sports to local audiences. BMX, skateboarding, futsal and roller sports have featured alongside more traditional disciplines, giving young people the chance to try a range of sports, including those that will form part of the Dakar 2026 programme.
Joining the culture club
Dakar en Jeux has placed a strong emphasis on cultural expression, with music, dance and street art playing a central role in each edition. The aim is to reflect the identity of Senegal while creating a connection between the Games and the communities that will host them.
This celebration of culture will also be visible during the Games themselves, with Dakar 2026 placing a strong emphasis on the Senegalese concept of “Teranga” – a Wolof word that embodies the hospitality, generosity and sense of community that define daily life in the country.
This spirit is set to shape the Games for both athletes and visitors, with organisers aiming to create an environment that reflects Senegal’s openness and warmth.
“Teranga”: the sound of Dakar 2026 celebrates Senegalese hospitality and the power of sport
“Teranga – the Senegalese tradition of hospitality and generosity – is not a communication concept,” says Wade. “It is a lived reality, and the Games have been designed so that every visitor feels it from the moment of arrival.”
For the young athletes, this will be most visible in the Youth Olympic Village, where they will meet local craftspeople, discover traditional games and learn West African drumming and dance practices such as sabar and djembé.
At competition venues, cultural performances will welcome every delegation, while the Yeesal project, meaning “renewal” in Wolof, is transforming the urban landscapes of Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly into an open-air gallery, with large-scale murals by local artists inspired by the Olympic values. One of the first is the artwork depicting Faye, Seck and Gomis at Colobane train station.
Going local
The emphasis on local identity and youth engagement is also reflected in how the Games themselves have been designed. For Dakar 2026, the IOC has introduced a new approach to the YOG sports programme, with a stronger focus on adapting each edition to its host country and region.
Dakar 2026 will be the first edition to benefit from this model, with a tailored programme developed in close collaboration between the YOGOC and the International Federations (IFs).
The approach marks a shift away from a fixed format, allowing each edition of the Games to reflect local priorities and opportunities while maintaining its role as an elite multisport competition.
For Dakar 2026, this will see 25 sports included in the competition programme, alongside a further 10 sports
that will form part of a new engagement programme. While the competition sports will follow a traditional format, the engagement programme is designed to give young people in the host communities the opportunity to discover and try new disciplines.
“We know that some sports are not yet well known in Africa,” explains Wade. “So we wanted to give IFs the opportunity to bring those sports and showcase them in one place.”
These engagement sports will be presented through demonstrations, activations and festival-style experiences, allowing local youth to take part directly rather than simply watch. The aim is to build interest and participation in sports that may not yet have a strong presence in Senegal or the wider region.
“We really hope the legacy will be that young people discover them and that these sports continue to grow after the Games,” says Wade.
Kayange adds: “This is central to the approach. Adapting the sports programme to the local context ensures that the YOG remain relevant while maintaining their role as a pathway to elite sport.”
Under African skies
The thinking behind the sports programme also extends beyond competition, with Dakar 2026 aiming to support the development of a broader sports ecosystem in Senegal and across Africa.
“Sport is already very popular in Africa,” says Wade. “But what we can add with the Youth Olympic Games is how to build a sports industry. This is something important.”
This includes investment in skills, training and infrastructure, as well as efforts to strengthen national sports systems and create new opportunities for young people beyond competition. Programmes such as the Dakar 2026 Learning Academy are designed to equip participants with practical experience in areas such as event management, operations and administration, helping to build a workforce that can support future sporting events.
The approach also reflects a wider ambition to position Dakar as a regional hub for sport, with the capacity to host international competitions and support athlete development over the long term.
THE VENUES
The Dakar 2026 YOG will be held across three host cities (Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly), with competitions taking place at eight venues in total – from the picturesque Saly Beach, home to six sports including beach handball and coastal rowing, to Corniche West, which will provide a stunning backdrop for the road cycling events. A central hub for festivities and youth engagement, Corniche West will also host the 10 engagement sports in the vibrant Espace Let’s Move zone.
Through partnerships with IFs and support from Olympic Solidarity, initiatives are being implemented to strengthen coaching, athlete pathways and organisational capacity across the continent.
Coupled with the youth engagement programmes and major investments in sporting infrastructure, these efforts are designed to ensure that the impact of Dakar 2026 extends far beyond the Games themselves, creating lasting opportunities for young people in Senegal and across Africa.
“The material legacy is tangible and lasting,” says Wade. “The Games leave behind a transformed sporting infrastructure: a fully rehabilitated Complexe Iba Mar Diop, a renovated Olympic swimming pool, a world-class equestrian centre and 11 community sports facilities built in partnership with local authorities across the country.
“The intangible legacy may prove even more significant. Research on the long-term impact of Olympic Games consistently points to a set of effects that outlast the infrastructure: a lasting elevation of sporting culture, a strengthened sense of national cohesion and a meaningful advance in gender equality, both in access to sport and in the visibility afforded to women as athletes, leaders and role models.”
According to Wade, this deeper impact may be the hardest to measure.
“It is the moment a young girl in Dakar watches a female athlete from her own continent stand on a podium, or a young boy from Médina in Dakar sees his neighbourhood transformed into a site of international excellence. That shift in aspiration is what the Olympic Movement, at its best, has always produced. And it is what Dakar 2026 is determined to leave behind.”
Much of that impact is already being shaped through the programmes introduced in the lead-up to 2026, with initiatives focused on education, skills development and access to sport designed to create opportunities that extend beyond the event itself.
“We will be planting those legacy seeds,” says Kayange. “Some of the impact will be seen immediately, but much of it will grow over time.”
Counting down
Before that legacy can take shape, attention now turns to the Games themselves, with anticipation building across Senegal and star names from the worlds of sport and culture among those expressing their excitement as the countdown to Dakar 2026 reaches its closing stages.
For Senegal national football team captain and Dakar 2026 ambassador Kalidou Koulibaly, the YOG represents a moment of pride for the whole African continent.
“This is something that has never happened before,” he says. “This is historic because major events have taken place all over the world, but never in Africa. Now it is our turn. This event will show the world the talent and energy that exist across Africa.”
Social media star and fellow Dakar 2026 ambassador Khaby Lame, the most followed creator on TikTok with more than 160 million followers, has also highlighted the wider significance of the Games.
Dakar 2026 will give our continent the opportunity to reveal the best of itself and to inspire youth in Africa and around the world. This is a chance to demonstrate that beyond its resilience, Africa is also a force. I am proud to be Senegalese, proud to be African, and we will make this first Olympic event in Africa a total success.
Back at Colobane train station, commuters will continue to pass beneath the mural of Julie Marie Gomis, Combé Seck and Tening Faye each day as Africa’s first Olympic event approaches.
Looking up, they will see the faces of two stars of Senegalese sport alongside a young athlete whose story is only just beginning, but who already represents the generation across Africa set to be inspired by this historic moment.
Some information has been updated.