Dakar 2026 Media Kit
To assist you with finding the answers to your questions as quickly and effortlessly as possible, we are providing you with the following background, links and other information we believe will be of most use to you during the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.
What are the Youth Olympic Games?
The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) are a global multi-sport event for the world’s best young athletes, combining high-level sports competition with education, culture and opportunities to experience the Olympic values.
The YOG were created by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2007, with the first Summer Youth Olympic Games taking place in Singapore in 2010. The event was conceived not only as an elite sporting competition, but also as an opportunity for young athletes to learn, experience different cultures and engage with the Olympic values.
The Summer YOG editions and their hosts are:
2010 Singapore
2014 Nanjing, China
2018 Buenos Aires, Argentina
2026 Dakar, Senegal
Dakar 2026 will therefore be the fourth edition of the Summer Youth Olympic Games. The Winter YOG are held separately, with the first edition taking place in Innsbruck, Austria, in 2012 – the latest edition was Gangwon 2024 in South Korea.
From Dakar 2022 to Dakar 2026
Senegal was elected to host the 4th Summer YOG at the 133rd IOC Session in Buenos Aires on 8 October 2018, making Dakar the first African host of an Olympic sporting event. The Games were originally scheduled to take place from 22 October to 9 November 2022.
In July 2020, Senegal and the IOC mutually agreed to postpone the YOG from 2022 to 2026 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic had led to the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and major disruption to the international sporting calendar, with operational and financial consequences for the IOC, National Olympic Committees (NOCs), International Sports Federations (IFs) and Games organisers. Moving the Dakar YOG to 2026 provided additional time for Senegal to continue preparations and for Olympic Movement stakeholders to reorganise their activities.
As a result, Dakar 2026 will be the first Summer YOG since Buenos Aires 2018.
What are the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games?
The Dakar 2026 YOG will take place in Senegal from 31 October to 13 November 2026, bringing together approximately 2,700 of the world’s best young athletes.
Dakar 2026 will mark a historic milestone as the first Olympic sporting event ever to be held on African soil. The competitions and other activities will take place across Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly.
Beyond sporting competition, Dakar 2026 is placing young people at the heart of the Games, celebrating talent, promoting Olympism and aiming to create lasting opportunities through sport, education and youth engagement in Senegal and across Africa.
Dakar 2026 at a glance
- Dates: 31 October to 13 November 2026
- Competition: 15 days, with baseball5 beginning on 30 October ahead of the Opening Ceremony
- Athletes: approximately 2,700
- Events: 153 medal events
- Sports: 25 competition sports and 10 engagement sports
- International Federations: 35
- Gender balance: full gender balance across every sport, discipline and event
- Host locations: Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly
- Youth Olympic Village: Diamniadio
- First Olympic sporting event in Africa
- First YOG to include a Refugee Olympic Team
- Official hashtag: #Dakar2026
Vision
Dakar 2026 – Youth and sport united to contribute to the transformation of Senegal, and a source of inspiration for Africa.
Mission
Dakar 2026 aims to bring together the world’s finest young athletes in inclusive and festive competitions; celebrate sport and culture in the tradition of Senegalese teranga; promote Olympism and the Olympic values; and use the Games as a catalyst to create opportunities for young people and support the development of sport in Senegal and across Africa.
Motto
Africa Welcomes, Dakar Celebrates.
L’Afrique accueille, Dakar célèbre.
Afrig Dalal, Ndakaaru Jëmël.
Venues and sports programme
- Host locations: Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly
- Youth Olympic Village: Amadou Mahtar Mbow University in Diamniadio
- Sports programme: 25 competition sports and 10 engagement sports involving 35 International Federations
- Events: 153 medal events
- Athletes: approximately 2,700
- Gender balance: full gender balance across every sport, discipline and event
Dakar 2026 Official Event Programme
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.
Mascot
The official Dakar 2026 mascot is Ayo, a young lion symbolising the joy and energy of Senegalese youth.
“Ayo” means “joy” in Yoruba.
The mascot wears a traditional Fulani Tingandé hat and was chosen through a nationwide competition open to middle- and secondary-school students, which received more than 500 entries.
Refugee Olympic Team
Dakar 2026 will be the first Youth Olympic Games to include a Refugee Olympic Team.
Hosted by the NOCs of Kenya and Uganda, the team comprises six African-based athletes competing in athletics, judo and taekwondo.
Athlete Role Models
IOC announces Olympic champions, medallists and Olympians as Athlete Role Models for Dakar 2026
Websites
Dakar 2026 | Youth Olympic Games
Articles
Institutional news – IOC.org: Dakar 2026
Public-facing news – Olympics.com: Dakar 2026 latest news
Olympic Review – Dakar 2026: A historic moment
Media information
News Access Rules – Dakar 2026
Press releases
To receive IOC press releases directly in your mailbox, please register here.
Video News Releases
Broadcast-quality videos can be accessed and downloaded for free from:
IOC photos
For an extensive selection of photos available shortly after IOC events, please follow us on Flickr and on IOC Newsroom.
For Games-time sports photography, please visit OIS Photos
To request archive photos and footage, please contact our Images team at images@olympic.org.
Social media
Institutional news – IOC Media on X
Institutional news on Instagram – @iocofficial
Media requests
Should you have any communications questions related to the IOC or Dakar 2026, please contact the IOC Media Relations and Olympic Games Communications team at pressoffice@olympic.org.
For broadcast-related information, please visit the OBS Media Hub.